CiHM 

Microfiche 
Series 

(IMonographs) 


iCMH 

Collection  de 

microfiches 

(monographles) 


Canadian  Instituta  for  Htotorical  Microraproductiona  /  Inatitut  Canadian  da  microraproductiena  Matoriquaa 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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[       Cover  title  missing  /  Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

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RbM  avec  d'autres  documents 

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interior  margin  /  La  reliure  serr^e  peut  causer  de 
I'ombre  ou  de  la  distorsion  le  long  de  la  marge 
int^rieure. 

I  j  Blank  leaves  added  during  restorations  may  appear 
' — '  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these  have  been 
omitted  from  filming  /  It  se  peut  que  certaines  pages 
blanches  ajout^es  lors  d'une  restauration 
apparalssent  dans  le  texte.  mais.  lorsque  cela  itait 
possible,  ces  pages  n'ont  pas  M  film^es. 

□ Additional  comments  / 
Commentaires  suppMmentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire  qu'il  lui  a 
6X6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  d^ails  de  cet  exem- 
plaire  qui  sont  peut-fitre  uniques  du  point  de  vue  bibli- 
ographique,  qui  peuvent  nxxiifier  une  image  reproduite, 
ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une  modification  dans  la  mMio* 
de  normale  de  fiftnage  sont  indk^uto  cklessous. 

I    I  Coloured  pages  /  Pages  de  couleur 

j    \  Pages  daniaged  /  Pages  endommagtes 

□ Pages  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Pages  restaur^s  et/ou  pelliculdes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed  / 
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Showthrough  /  Transparence 

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Comprend  du  materiel  suppl^mentaire 

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possible  image  /  Les  pages  totalemeix  ou 
partiellement  obscurcies  par  un  feuiiiet  d'errata,  r  ^ 
pelure.  etc.,  ont  ^t^  filmies  k  nouveau  de  fa9on  a 
obtenir  la  nwitleure  image  possible. 

□ Opposing  pages  with  varying  colouration  or 
discok)urations  are  filmed  twice  to  ensure  the  best 
possible  image  /  Les  pages  s'opposant  ayant  des 
colorations  variables  ou  des  decolorations  sont 
film^es  deux  fois  afin  d'obtenir  la  meilleure  image, 
possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below  / 

Cm  document  tat  film<  au  taux  da  rMuctlon  indiqut  ci-dcssoui. 

lOx  14x  18x  22x  26x  30x 

I    I    I    I    I    I    I    I    I    I    I  y|    I    I    I    I    I    I    I    I    I  1 

12x  16x  20X  24x  28x  32x 


Th«  copy  fllmtd  h«r«  Hm  bMn  raproduevd  thank*  L'«x«mpiair«  film*  fut  raprodult  grica  i  la 

to  tha  ganaroaity  of:  gioAroalt*  da: 

mtlmal  Library  of  Canada  MMIathlqMa  national*  *i  Canada 


Tha  imagos  appoaring  har*  ar*  tha  bast  quality 
poasibia  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  lagibillty 
of  tha  original  copy  and  In  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  apodfieatlona. 


Original  eopias  in  printad  papar  eovara  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covor  and  anding  on 
tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  impraa* 
tion,  Oi  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  eoplaa  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  iilustratad  impraa- 
sion.  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  Illuatratad  impraaalon. 


Tha  last  ncord^d  frama  on  aaeh  microflcho 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  — (msaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  symbol  y  (moaning  "END"), 
whiehavar  appliaa. 

Maps,  platas.  charts,  ate.  may  ba  filmad  at 
diffarant  raduction  ratioa.  Thosa  too  larga  to  ba 
ontiroly  includod  in  one  axposuro  ara  filmad 
beginning  in  tho  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Los  images  suivantas  ont  M  reproduitas  avec  la 
plus  grand  soin.  compte  tenu  do  la  condition  at 
da  la  netteta  do  rexemplaire  film*,  ot  an 
eonformit*  avec  lea  conditiona  du  contrat  da 
fllmaga. 

Laa  axamplalraa  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  eat  Imprimia  sont  film4a  an  commen^nt 
par  la  premier  plat  ot  en  torminant  soit  par  la 
derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  emprointe 
d'impreasion  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  aalon  la  caa.  Toua  lea  autres  oxemplairea 
originaux  sont  filmte  en  commen9ant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  emprointe 
d'impreasion  ou  d'illustration  at  en  torminant  par 
la  derniiro  paga  qui  eomporta  una  telle 
ampralnta. 

Un  dee  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
derniire  image  do  chaq  iO  microfiche,  solon  le 
cas:  le  symboie        signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  le 
aymbola  ▼  signifia  "FIN". 

Los  cartes,  plenchos.  tableaux,  etc..  peuvont  itro 
filmAs  A  dos  taux  da  reduction  diffirents. 
Lorsqua  la  document  est  trop  grand  pour  ttre 
reproduit  en  un  soul  cilch*.  il  eat  film*  i  partir 
de  I'angle  sup*riour  gauche,  do  gsucho  i  droite. 
ot  de  haut  on  baa.  an  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nicessairo.  Lea  diagrammea  suivants 
illustrant  la  mithoda. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

MiaOCOPV  RESOIUTION  TEST  CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


A   APPLIED  IIVHGE  Ine 


a 


18S3  East  Main  Street 
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I 


The 

*  riMrig  of  a  Canadian 


The 

Making  of  a  Canadian 


BY 

JOSEPH  ALLEN 


Illustrated  ij 
ELMER  RACHS 


ALLEN  PUBLISHING  00. 
NEWARK,  N.  J. 
1918 


PREFACE 


A  PREFACE  IS  usually  about  as  useful  to  a  book  as  a 
fifth  wheel  to  a  coach.    For  few  readers  ever  take  Vmt 

J^li  x/f'^^'^'r'   5"^     writing  this  book,  entitled 
The  Making  of  a  Canadian/'  I  think  it  only  fair  to 
myself  that  I  should  make  a  few  explanations,  and  I 
will  make  them  in  as  brief  and  concise  a  manner  as 
possible-as  a  slight  balm  to  ease  or  relieve  my  own 
rather  sensitive  conscience.    For  many  of  my  numer- 
ous  fnends  have  inferred  that  in  writing  this  book  of 
stones,  that  they  are  nothing  more  nor  less  than  bio- 
graphical episodes  in  my  own  experience.   This  is  true 
to  a  certain  extent,  but  not  altogether.   The  stories, 
with  one  or  two  exceptions,  describe  incidents  in  which  I 
took  an  active  part.   And  the  exceptions  were  related 

LT  ^-^^  P"^^"P^"^«''  with  whom  I  T.as  quite 
tamihar.  The  characters  F.-crrrayed  in  my  book  were 
all  hvmg,  moving,  animated  beings,  with  whom  I 
was  personally  acquainted.    I  have  introd-ced  them 

scnbed  them  just  as  I  found  them.  But  for  fear  of 
causing  pam  or  offending  their  sensibiUties,  I  have 
given  them  ficritious  names.  I  also  draught  the  book 
would  read  better  if  written  in  the  fi«t  person,  and 
therexore  was  compelled  to  have  a  narrator,  and  have 
pvcn  him  the  name  of  "Jack  Arling"  (who  is  aHve 


PREFACE 


to-day)»  and  can  vouch  for  the  absolute  truthfulness  di 
the  stories;  also,  that  the  people,  places,  and  incidents 
are  faithfully  described  and  that  the  conditions  o^  life 
then  existing  in  the  different  parts  of  Canada,  as  por- 
trayed by  me  in  the  pages  of  this  book,  were  absolutely 
true  at  the  time.  I  have  written  "The  Making  of  a 
Canadian"  at  the  urgent  request  of  many  of  my  most 
respected  and  honored  friends,  consisting  of  ministers 
of  the  gospel,  lawyers,  doctors,  business  men,  and  a 
prominent  author.  I  was  traveling  through  Louisiana, 
Texas,  and  other  Southern  states  some  time  agc^  and 
this  particular  author  was  my  traveling  companion. 
He  had  traveled  extensively  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
As  my  wanderings  had  carried  me  over  a  good  part  of 
Europe,  as  well  as  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
naturally  our  omversadon  drifted  into  reminiscmces 
of  personal  experiences  in  <mr  travels,  and  omrse 
we  had  a  great  many  to  relate.  After  an  absence  <rf 
several  months  we  returned  to  New  York,  and  as  we 
were  saying  good-bye  he  said:  "My  dear  boy,  if  I  had 
at  my  disposal  one4ialf  of  the  interesting  reminiscences 
of  travel  whidi  you  have  related  to  me,  I  would  most 
certainly  group  them  together  and  make  a  bode  which 
would  not  only  be  interesting  and  instructive  to  young 
people,  but  highly  entertaining  to  all  who  read  it. 
Write  It  hy  all  means."  Many  others  have  said  the 
same  diing^  if  not  in  the  same  words  yet  in  substance 
the  meaning  was  the  same.  Therefore  I  have  written 
this  book  of  stories,  entitled  "The  Making  of  a  Cana- 
dian," which  is  a  truthful  recital  of  the  life  and  adven- 
tures of  "Jack  Arling,"  the  hero  of  the  book.  I  will  feel 
myself  well  rewarded  (or  writing  the  book  if  I  sue- 


PREFACE  y 

ce^^  in  inducing  my  young  readers  to  live  more  in 
ijod  I  peat  outdoors,  and  become  seekers  of  health 
rather  than  seekers  of  wealth.  living  clean,  manly  and 
womanly  Uvcs;  shunning  all  thaf:  is  evil,  and  clinginir 
steadfastly  to  the  good,  with  the  two  great  bulwark, 
wncenty  and  tnithfukess  dominating  their  lives. 

Joseph  Allbn,  Author. 


CONTENTS 


auma 

I-  Our  Family  

II.  Early  School  Days!  .......  I 

III.  Swordsmanship  

IV.  The  Big  Blizzard.  . . ' ^° 
V.  The  Snow-Shoe  Races.   

VI.  Sports  on  the  Ice. 
J^l'  JS^ontreal  in  Winter.'  .* 
VIII.  Enter  Spring!   ^5 

IX.  Punishing  a  Bully. 

X.  Adventure  of  Camping".'. !j 
XI.  First  Business  Experiences.        "  "  ,!? 

All.  A  Railroad  AccroENT 

XIII.  Visit  to  Toronto..  

XIV.  Riots  and  Preparedness.' 

XV.  Beginnings  of  a  Commercial  "TravI 

ELER  

XVI.  A  Trip  TROUGH  Fro'st'and' Tempest.  :;  Ill 
XV  I.  Encounter  with  a  Highwayman..  . .  Ht 

^TV  n Commission  Merchant.  ' '  LI 

Unexpected  Result  of  Symp^  l'^ 

XX.  Katy  and  Her  Sister  

^I.  Shipwrecked  on  Lake  Ontario.  lys 

I  Tell  Katy  my  Great  Secret..  . . .  'I 

^Tv            ™=           Woods.  ...  If- 
XXIV.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jack  Arling. 

vii 


U8T  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


rACIMQ 

rAoa 


*                                  n>y  arm  in  hi. 
strong  gnp  to  keep  me  from  (Mnf  

Lhns.    Die  Snow-shoe  Races  * 

But  when  we  jumped  the  stoiie  will  "^i' j^U  " 

•kunmed  through  the  air  . . .  '« 
Wha  I  h«I  fimshed  d„  „cital,  d,e  «lked'ove;  " 

to  me  and  held  out  her  hand 
It  must  have  been  midnight  when  k  da;,n«i  upon 

fo^   T'.""'  let  in  tW.  Wg 

And^^d.  tha^  grabbed'one  of  my  revolvers  and  "* 

from  that  h.gh  rock  into  the  .«ahing,  tyrb^ 
lent  waters  of  the  chasm  below. .  '  ,„ 

dZ!"°^^i^.'°°",°''"'  '"<'  as  I  «ooped  ' 

Now  you  are  nqr  own  sweet  wile.".   jgg 


THE 

MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


CHAPTER  I 

OUR  FAMILY 

Dragoon  Rqpm«t1^X^' 

and  decided  S  retire  fmJlJT  <>f  Canada 

•he  City  of  Mo„  "eal  Tmfn         "1        ^  » 

named  WiHUm  A^iL  rl^"^  ^/""^ 

father).  He  h"d  rn^t  i't  ?ri"1"''^  t"""  ""^ 

«>n,e  of  tl,em  aided  him  fi«^'lS? 

^-^  out  into  life  at'b^M^^aji'r 


2 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


For  several  years  father  devoted  the  whole  (tf  hit 
time  and  attention  to  his  business,  and  became  very 
prosperous.  But  whenever  he  could  spare  an  evening, 
he  would  usually  wend  his  way  up  to  the  home  of  a 
family  named  Durand,  consisting  of  Mr.  and  Mn. 
Durand,  their  two  sons,  Alfred  and  Charles,  alto  two 
daughters,  Tilly  and  Mary — Mary  being  the  youngest. 

Mary  was  a  charming  young  lady  of  eighteen  sum- 
mers, a  very  light  blonde  of  medium  height,  and,  like 
all  Canadian  girls,  the  very  picture  of  heddi.  She 
was  particularly  noted  for  her  beautiful  complexkm 
and  rosy  cheeks,  which  flushed  into  a  deep  carnation  at 
the  slightest  provocation.  She  had  light  blue  eyes, 
and  a  wealth  of  light  brown  hair,  slightly  tinged  with 
gold,  all  of  which  made  her  very  attractive,  and  her 
friends  pronounced  her  "a  very  beautiful  and  charming 
young  lady." 

She  and  father  had  been  engaged  for  over  a  year, 
and  as  soon  as  he  realized  that  success  had  crowned 
his  efforts,  he  built  a  neat  and  comfortable  little  home. 
He  and  Mary  Durand  were  married  at  the  Methodist 
chapel.  Father  was  an  honorable,  sincere  Christian 
gentleman;  a  man  whose  word  was  as  good  as  his  Ixmd. 
He  was  revered  by  all  for  his  sterling,  upright,  and 
Christian  character,  for  all  through  his  years  of  service 
in  the  army  he  received  more  requests  to  call  and 
administer  religious  consolation  to  the  sick  and  the 
dying  soldiers  than  the  chaplain  of  tJie  raiment,  for 
he  had  the  confidence  of  both  officers  and  men.  And 
now,  in  private  life,  he  carried  his  religion  into  his 
home  and  lived  it  out  in  his  family  and  with  his  friends 
and  neighbors.   He  was  always  kind,  courtecMis  anc^ 


OUR  FAMILY  j 

f^mll,,    cu  ner  time  and  thought  to  her 

fanuly  She  ™  •crupulously  neat  and  tidy  a  finl 
housekeeper,  a  great  worker,  and  zZ^yn  Lt  j 
never  remember  seeing  her  idle    ^u.    ^  ^ 

given  .he  nrJ^f 

advent  into  our  familv    T ,  roiiowed  her 

»d  «l«.ed  in  her  Tst,  of  i^l.T"'' 

mTried  A.  superintendent  *d  ^LlTrfT,  - 
busmess  enterprise,  and  la»r  ^  k?*?^    .  * 

oldest  boy  in  the  uX  'h.  Z  ^^ZS'^'-f' 

Kr/'go^-'n^e  1  "•""-V-^t'S  a 

constant  companion  Wk rn,^  "wyhood  days  my 
I  ««.  »»V."°U^^'^,'^»'-y«-oId 

wiuM      once  constituted 


4  THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


himself  my  pers<mal  bodyguard  and  protectar. 
When  I  reached  the  age  of  two,  my  sister  Sophie  was 
bom.  She  gradually  developed  into  a  healthy,  vig- 
orous girl..  We  became  great  chums,  for  she  inclined 
to  all  kinds  of  outdoor  sports  and  enjoyed  skating,  snow- 
shoeing,  tobogganing  and  slei^  driving  much  more 
than  sitting  in  the  house  nursing  a  doll.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  she  married  a  captain  in  the  Field  Battery  of 
Artillery,  who  afterwards  retired  from  the  service  and 
became  a  wholesale  merchant  in  the  City  of  Montreal. 
Several  other  children  were  bom  into  the  family  after 
Sophie's  arrival,  but  were  too  young  to  take  any  active 
part  in  this  story,  so  I  have  not  mentiimed  them  by 
name. 

Both  father  and  mother  were  good  singers,  and  I 
firmly  believe  that  many  of  the  childrai  of  our  family 
were  taught  to  sing  before  they  had  learned  to  walk 
alone.  We  were  also  taught  to  perform  on  some  musical 
instrument  of  our  choice,  so  that  before  many  of  us 
had  reached  the  age  of  twelve  we  not  only  had  a  good 
choir  in  our  own  family,  but  a  small  orchestra.  The 
Jiome  life  was  made  so  attractive  for  us  that  we  pre- 
ferred to  sp^d  our  evenings  there  than  widi  our  boy 
and  girl  playmates  in  the  fields. 

Every  member  of  the  family,  with  the  exception  of 
the  baby,  was  expected  to  be  at  the  breakfast  table 
at  sevoi-thirty  each  morning.  We  were  always  pro- 
vided with  an  abundance  of  piftin,  wholesome  food,  but 
no  luxuries,  and  as  soon  as  the  meal  was  over,  father, 
usually  holding  the  youngei  e  tot  on  his  lap,  opened  the 
family  Bible,  and  after  reading  a  chapter,  made  a 
few  brief  comments  in  very  simple  language  so  that 


ODE  FAMILY  ^ 

the  youngest  could  understand.  Then  aU  knelt  down, 
«id  fadier  made  a  short  but  fervent  prayer,  thanking 
God  for  his  protection  dunng  the  night  and  asking  for 
his  eaie  and  guidance  during  the  day.   At  the  close  of 

T  I  jT^^'l^^.^^'ned  morning  and  evening  as  Ion£ 
as  I  lived  in  the  dear  old  home.  ^ 


CHAPTER  II 


EARLY  SCHOOL  DAYS 

My  earliest  recollection  is  of  my  eldest  sister, 
Laura,  taking  me  with  her  to  a  young  ladies'  academy, 
or  finishing  school.  There  were  about  thirty  young 
ladies  ranging  in  age  from  fifteen  to  twenty,  completing 
their  education  at  this  academy. 

I  was  a  chubby  little  chap  with  very  large  eyes,  and 
very  fat  legs,  I  am  told,  and  if  I  remember  correctly 
was  dressed  on  my  first  visit  in  a  Scotch  plaid,  or 
Highland  kiltie  suit.  I  was  a  great  favorite  with  all 
the  young  ladies  of  the  school  and  they  used  to  take 
turns  holding  me  on  thdr  laps,  calling  me  a  little 
"dear,"  and  all  kinds  of  pet  names,  and  when  I  became 
drowsy  they  would  lay  me  down  on  the  sofa  in  tlie 
parlor,  covering  me  up  snugly  with  shawls,  and  I 
am  told  that  I  would  always  sleep  soundly  through 
och  sessicm. 

Facing  this  school  was  a  large  open  square.  This 
was  called  at  the  time  the  "Hay  Market."  (It  it 
now  Victoria  Square.) 

The  French-Canadian  farmers,  or  "Habitants," 
would  drive  into  this  Hay  Market  from  great  distances 
with  immense  loads  of  hay  piled  up  so  high  that  it  was 
a  wonder  to  my  young  eyes  how  it  was  that  they  did 
not  topple  over.  The  Habitant  women  as  well  as  the 
men  made  this  a  great  rendezvous  for  peddling  aU 


EARLY  SCHOOL  DAYS 

kinds  of  small  articles  and  especially  (what  I  consid- 
ered the  finest  article  of  sale  on  the  market)  sticks  of 
molaMM  candy,  or,  as  they  called  it,  "La'tier,"  made 
in  thick,  round,  short  bars  the  color  of  old-fashioned 
brown  sugar,  with  dark  chocolate  stripes  and  flavored 
with  peppermint  and  sold  for  one  cent  a  stick  This 
was  the  delight  of  all  the  boys  and  girls,  and  I  used  to 
hke  to  go  to  school  with  Laura  for  I  soon  learned 
aU  the  young  ladies  were  fond  of  it,  and  always  had  a 
supply  on  hand. 

The  vendors  of  this  candy  carried  it  in  wooden 
boxes  that  looked  like  Noah's  ark.  They  had  sloping 
covers  at  each  end,  with  a  piece  of  barrel  hoop  forming  a 
handle,  through  which  they  put  their  arm,  and  carried 

II-  1,  !  t.™'*';  f^'h^f*-  ™  »*^*>^«  covered 

with  table  oilcloth  to  keep  the  candy  from  being  spoiled 

when  It  rained.  This  same  oilcloth  had  likely  done 
good  service  on  the  family  table  all  through  the  former 
decade,  and  perhaps  lon'^er,  for  a  Habitant  is  very 
trugal  and  makes  every  penny  tell. 

As  rime  passed,  I  grew  up  to  be  a  strong,  husky  lad 
and  was  twelve  years  old  at  this  rime,  and  with  my  ^ 
sister  bophie  (of  whom  I  was  very  fond)  attended  the 
same  school.   She  was  two  years  younger  than  I 
but  we  w«e  always  great  chums.   The  school  was  a 
large  building  of  brown  granite  with  two  wings.  The 
eastern  wmg  was  occupied  by  the  girk  and  the  western 
by  the  boys.   The  central  building  was  used  as  a  con- 
cert hall,  or  music  room.    We  lived  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  school  and  had  to  walk  each  way  every  day 
s^TZ^""  «ot  a  lift  by  climbing  on  the  tail  end  li 
some  wagon  or  sleigh.  Sophie  couM  run  and  climb  as 


8  THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

well  as  a  boy,  so  she  was  no  hindrance  in  an  enter- 
prise of  this  kind. 

A  constant  feud  existed  between  the  English- 
speaking  boys  and  the  French-Canadian  boys,  they 
calling  us  "Paddys"  and  we  calling  them  "Canucks." 
Whenever  a  Canuck  caught  a  Paddy  alone  (for  they 
would  always  run  if  they  met  several  Paddys),  they 
would  attack  him  at  once,  so  that  a  fight  on  the  way  to 
school  or  return  was  a  weekly  occurrence,  for  we  had 
to  pass  one  of  the  Canadian  suburbs  both  going  and 
coming  from  school.    We  always  carried  our  books 
bound  together  with  straps  and  whenever  we  saw  a 
couple  of  Canucks  making  for  us,  I  would  hand  the 
books  over  to  Sophie,  and,  as  we  expressed  it,  "wade 
right  into  them."   I  could  usually  handle  one  or  two 
of  them  for  I  was  considered  a  pretty  good  scrapper, 
but  if  they  once  got  me  down  and  it  looked  as  if  they 
were  getting  the  best  of  it— this  is  where  Sophie's 
fine  work  would  come  in,  for  she  would  belabor  them 
over  the  head  with  the  books  until  they  were  mighty 
glad  to  jump  up  and  make  a  run  for  it.   After  she  had 
beaten  all  the  dust  out  of  my  clothes  and  helped  smooth 
my  hair,  to  make  me  a  little  more  presentable  on 
entering  the  school,We  would  then  continue  our  journey, 
chatring  as  though  nothing  of  an  unusual  nature  had 
happened. 

The  motto  in  all  schools  at  that  time  was:  "Spar^ 
the  rod  and  spoil  the  child,"  and  the  rod  was  not 
spared  to  any  great  extent— so  that  you  could  notice 
It— but  was  in  evidence  a  good  part  of  the  time  during 
school  hours.  For  the  most  trivial  offense  the  boys 
were  beaten  and  sometimes  in  a  most  brutal  manner. 


EARLY  SCHOOL  DAYS 


9 


always  with  a  rawhide  whip,  and  on  the  bare  hands. 
The  boys  all  prided  themselves  on  being  able  to  stand 
a  good  liclcin',  as  they  called  it,  without  letting  out  a 
angle  whimper,  and  taking  their  medicine  like  men. 

My  chum,  Herman  Hager,  who  sat  at  the  same 
desk  with  me,  was  a  nice  fellow  and  I  was  really  fond 
of  him.  He  was  just  twelve  years  old,  but  quite  tall 
for  his  age  and  had  jet  black  hair  and  eyes,  was  always 
nicely  dressed  and  neat  and  clean,  and  was  blessed 
with  a  very  kindly  disposition  but  was  a  very  delicate 
boy  and  very  nervous.  He  and  I  were  fast  friends; 
he  was  a  good  student  and  helped  me  frequently  with 
my  lessons  and  I  reciprocated  by  sharing  with  him 
any  fruit,  candy,  cake,  or  anything  that  I  had  which 
I  thought  he  would  like. 

One  morning  I  brought  some  very  fine  apples  to 
school  with  me,  and  I  might  digress  a  little  to  say 
that  in  all  my  travels  I  have  never  tasted  finer  apples 
than  are  grown  on  the  Island  of  Montreal— beautiful 
m  appearance,  luscious,  filled  with  juice,  and  the  flavor 
unsurpassed.  As  usual,  I  divided  with  Herman  (it 
was  against  the  rules  to  eat  anything  in  school  hours). 
Our  mouths  were  full  and  our  jaws  were  working  overw 
time,  when  we  thought  Mr.  McGinger  was  not  looking 
m  our  direction.  Mr.  McGinger  was  the  head  master. 
Poor  Herman,  trying  to  get  another  apple  out  of  his 
desk,  pulled  his  slate  out  instead,  and  it  fell  with  a 
crash  to  the  floor  just  as  McGinger  was  concluding  the 
morning  worship.  He  certainly  brought  that  prayer  to 
"A^^*^  a*>"»Pt  conclusion,  hardly  taking  time  to  say 
Amen,"  and  jumping  to  his  feet  demanded  that  the 
boy  who  had  made  that  terrible  distrubance  at  prayer 


W         THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

rime  stand  up  at  once.  I  really  thought  that  poor 
Wwman  would  die  of  fright;  his  face  had  a  sickly, 
jwhy  appearance,  and  be  was  trembling  aU  over  as  if 
he  were  gomg  to  faint.  I  did  not  know  what  to  d<^- 
1  was  so  sorry  for  him,  and  I  could  not  utter  a  sound 
for  my  mouth  was  so  full  of  apple  I  could  not  even 
[TwaBow  ,t,  but  at  last  succeeded  in  dropping  it  into  my 

t^ifTr  ^  r?*"^  being 
tru  hful  frank  and  smcere.  and  I  was,  for  father  had 
drilled  that  mto  me  from  my  earliest  recollection,  but  I 
could  not  bear  to  see  the  pain  and  anguish  as  expressed 
on  my  chum's  face,— so  I  stood  up. 

McGinger  was  in  a  towering  rage  by  this  time,  his 
face  was  beet-red,  his  hps  were  abnost  white  and  he 
was  bitmg  them  to  keep  them  from  twitching.   He  had 
a  scowl  of  wicked  cruelty,  which  changed  eveiy  feature 
of  his  face  to  one  of  demoniac  ferocity,  and,  looking 
down  at  me,  as  soon  as  I  stood  up,  roared  out:  "Arling» 
are  you  the  boy  that  made  that  disturbance?"  I  did 
not  reply  as  I  did  not  wish  to  tell  a  deUberate  falsehood, 
but  stood  there  looking  him  straight  in  the  face,  not 
trom  bravado,  but  his  eyes  were  so  piercing  they  held 
my  gaze  and  cast  a  charm  over  my  senses  in  the  same 
way  that  a  snake  does  before  striking  its  victim  with 
Its  fangs. 

McGinger,  absolutely  beside  himself  with  uncon- 
trollable passion,  said:  "Come  up  here,  sir,  and  I 
wUl  make  you  answer  me  when  I  ask  you  a  question!" 
bo  I  walked  up  to  tiie  platform  with  all  the  Dutch 
courage  I  could  muster,  stiU  looking  at  him  in  a  sort  of 
helpless  way,  but  gritting  my  teeth  and  firmly  resolving 
never  to  flinch.  * 


EARLY  SCHOOL  DAYS 


11 


The  boys  were  very  much  excited  and  were  watching 
the  performers  in  this  little  tragedy  with  the  most 
heartfelt  sympathy  for  me,  knordng  I  was  in  for  a 
terrible  "lickin*."  As  soon  as  I  stood  in  front  of  him 
he  took  the  long  rawhide  out  of  his  desk  and  said, 
"Hold  out  your  hand,  sir!"  which  I  did,  and  with  all 
the  wicked  venom  in  his  nature,  and  all  the  strength 
of  his  arm,  he  brought  the  rawhide  down  on  my  hand. 
I  could  just  fed  the  flesh  and  skin  swelling  up  into  a 
great  welt.  There  was  perfect  stillness  all  over  the 
school,  with  the  exception  of  a  suppressed  sob  which 
came  from  one  of  the  lady  teachers,  with  whom  I  was 
quite  a  favorite.  I  looked  at  her  and  smiled,  but  her 
face  expressed  the  most  intense  pain  and  mdignation. 
"Now,  sir,"  said  McGinger,  "hold  out  the  otherl"  and 
he  brought  the  rawhide  down  on  my  left  hand  with 
the  same  force  he  had  used  on  the  right.  "Now,  the 
other!"  he  said,  and  so  on  until  he  had  struck  me  eight 
'«jws,  four  on  each  hand,  and  the  most  vicious  blows 
.  aad  ever  witnessed,  but  I  never  allowed  a  whimper  or 
a  sob  to  escape  my  lips,  nor  a  tear  to  even  well  up  into 
my  eyes,  although  suffering  the  most  intense  pain. 

But  the  boys  had  worked  themselves  up  to  such  a 
pitch  of  excitement  by  this  time,  they  had  to  give  vent 
to  it,  or  explode.  It  started  with  a  few  stray  hisses, 
which  gradually  increased  in  volume  until  it  culil^ted 
in  a  wild  cheer,  when  they  realized  that  I  had  not  cried 
but  took  my  medicine,  and  was  game. 

This  outburst  acted  on  McGinger  like  a  red  rag 
to  an  infuriated  bull,  and  he  stumped  up  and  down 
the  platform  like  a  caged  tiger,  beside  himself  with 
suppressed  rage,  when  all  at  once  a  heavy  fall  was 


It         THE  MAJBSQ  OF  A  CANADIAN 

heard  at  the  rear  end  of  the  schoolroom  and  a  rush 
TO  made  by  the  boys  and  teachers  to  the  place  where 
Herman  and  I  sat,  and  they  picked  up  the  Kmp  form  of 
my  dear  chum,  Herman.  He  had  faUen  from  his  seat 
m  a  dead  faint.  They  carried  him  out  to  the  hallway 
and  It  was  quite  a  long  time  before  the  doctor  (who  had 
been  sent  for)  was  enabled  to  restore  him  to  conscious- 
ness. 

McGinger  tried  every  way  in  his  power  to  bring  the 
school  to  order,  but  failed.   The  boys  had  become 
uncontrollable.    As  he  could  not  quiet  them  down, 
he  had  to  dismiss  them  and  allow  them  to  go  out  to  the 
playground  until  their  indignation  had  subsided. 
McGmger  was  glad  enough  to  have  an  excuse  to  retire 
himself,  which  he  did  at  once,  and  just  as  soon  as  he 
had  gone,  Miss  Southeriand,  who  had  expressed  sym- 
pathy for  me,  came  over  at  once,  putting  her  arms 
around  my  neck,  hugged  and  kissed  me,  saying  it  was 
"wicked !  wicked  I"  This  act  of  sympathy  and  kindness 
80  affected  me  that  I  broke  down  and  cried  like  a  baby 
and  said  between  my  sobs,  "Miss  Southeriand,  please 
excuse  me  for  crying,  I  can't  help  it.    I  am  not  crying 
because  of  the  lickin',  I  wouldn't  have  cried  if  he  had 
killed  me,  and  I  don't  know  what  is  making  me  cry 
now."   She  held  me  tight  in  her  arms  and  said,  "Don't 
cry,  dear,  I  know,  I  know!   He  is  a  brute  and  should 
be  locked  up  in  jail;  he  is  not  fit  to  have  charge  of  a 
school." 

My  sister  Sophie  and  her  companions  heard  of  the 
beating  McGinger  had  given  me,  for  it  was  whispered 
around  unril  it  reached  the  giris*  department.  Poor 
Sophie  was  almost  beside  herself  with  grief.   I  found 


EARLY  SCHOOL  DAYS 


18 


her,  and  her  little  girl  friends,  watting  for  me  outside, 
when  the  school  closed  for  the  day.  When  they  saw 
my  fwollen  hands,  cut  in  places  where  the  end  of  the 
rawhide  had  penetrated,  their  indignation  knew  no 
bounds.  They  swarmed  around  me  like  a  lot  of  little 
ministering  angels,  trying  in  every  way  to  let  me  tee 
how  sorry  they  were  and  how  deep  was  their  sympathy, 
and  if  McGinger  had  only  been  near  enough  to  hear 
their  opinion  dT  him,  he  would  not  have  felt  very  much 
flattered.  There  were  to  many  girls  in  the  crowd  that 
I  felt  a  little  bit  embarrassed  and  tried  to  pass  it  oflPai 
something  that  could  not  be  helped  and  not  worth 
making  a  fuss  about,  but  failed  in  impressing  them. 

Of  course  both  father  and  mother  were  highly  in- 
dignant, but  did  not  like  to  express  themselves  in  my 
presence,  although  they  and  my  sister  Laura  talked 
the  matter  over  and  arrived  ?t  the  conclusion  that  I 
had  committed  some  boyish  pi^nk,  or  great  breach  of 
discipline,  for  I  had  not  tried  up  to  this  rime  to  excuse 
myself  in  any  way,  nor  did  I  intend  doing  so;  for  by 
this  time  I  really  began  to  think  that  I  had  committed 
some  great  crime  by  baiting  McGinger,  refusing  to 
answer  his  questions  and  acting  so  stoically  during  the 
time  of  punishment. 

Father  felt  very  keenly  the  disgrace  that  (as  he 
thought)  I  had  brought  upon  myself  by  my  acts,  and  as 
soon  as  supper  was  over  and  family  worship  concluded, 
he  said,  "My  son,  come  into  the  library;  I  wish  to 
have  a  little  talk  with  you!"  My  heart  began  to 
thump,  for  I  thought  I  was  certainly  in  for  another  pun- 
ishment. As  soon  as  we  were  seated  (he  in  his  big  arm- 
chair, and  I  on  a  little  stool  by  his  side)  he  bent  down. 


14         TBI  MAKINO  OP  A  CANADIAN 

and  in  his  kind,  fatherly  way,  drew  me  close  to  his 
•ide  and  said:  "Now,  Jack,  my  son,  tell  father  all 
about  It."  I  said,  "Well,  I  was  eating  apples."  "But 
surely,"  he  said,  "he  did  not  give  you  such  a  seme 

punishment  for  eating  apples?   Now,  my  son.  what 
else  did  you  do?"  "Well,"  I  said,  "Herman  dropped 
his  slate  during  prayers."   "  But  son,  what  had  that  to 
do  with  it?"  My  eyes  and  throat  were  beginning  to 
fill  up  by  this  time,  and  the  "crime"  I  thought  I  had 
committed  looked   bigger  than  ever.    "Well,  you 
know,  McGinger  ordered  the  boy  that  had  made 
the  disturbance  to  stand  up,  and  when  I  looked  at 
Herman  he  was  so  white  and  trembling  so  hard,  I 
thought  he  was  g-wg  to  die;  and,— and,— I  said,-  -Mc- 
Gmger  looked  so  wicked,  I,— I  was  afraid  he'd  kiU 
poor  Herman,  for  you  know  Herman  couldn't  stand  a 
lickin',  and,— and  I  just  stood  up,  and  then  McGinger 
•houted,  'Are  you  the  boy,  Jack  Arling,  that  made  the 
disturbance  during  prayers?'  But  I  never  said  a  word, 
for  you  told  me  never  to  lie,  and  I  didn't,  but  I  just 
stood  there,  and  then  he  called  me  up  and  licked  roe." 
Father  looked  at  me  for  quite  a  while,  and  I  saw  two 
big  tears  in  his  eyes.   After  a  while  he  said,  "And  so, 
my  little  son,  you  took  the  punishment  that  Herman 
should  have  had."   But  I  said,  "You  know,  father,  he 
couldn't  stand  it!"   Father  did  not  reply.  He  was 
looking  down  at  the  floor,  and  the  tears  were  running 
down  his  cheeks;  but  suddenly  lifting  me  on  his  lap, 
folding  me  in  his  arms,  and  kissing  me  on  both  cheeks, 
Mid:  "My  dear,  dear  little  son,  you  did  a  mighty  brave 
thmg,  and  I  love  a  brave  boy,  and,  under  the  dtcum- 
stances,  I  think  I  would  have  done  the  same  thing 


KABLY  8CB0OL  DAYS  u 

mjn^  Yet  you  came  pretty  near  telling  a  lie  by 
■tanding  up,  but  I  know  God  will  forgive  you." 

I  felt  tremendoualy  relieved,  for  I  really  thought 

1  was  in  for  another  punishment— not  looking  at  in  the 
light  father  had,  but  never  for  a  moment  thinking  I  was 
entitied  to  any  praise,  having  a  confused  idea  in  my 
mmd  that  I  had  only  done  what  any  other  boy  would 
have  done  under  the  aame  ciicumatancet. 

My  hands  were  pretty  sore,  though  mother  and 
Laura  had  washed  and  bathed  them  in  warm  water, 
rubbmg  them  with  liniment  and  binding  them  up  nicely 
in  bnen  bandages  at  toon  as  I  returned  from  school; 
but  I  scarcely  felt  the  pain,  I  was  so  delighted  tliat 
father  was  not  angry  with  me,  for  I  had  such  a  desire 
never  to  do  anything  that  would  in  the  slightest 
degree  cause  him  pain  or  sorrow,  for  the  greatest  ambi- 
tion of  my  hfe  was  to  show  him  by  my  acts  the  great 
love  for  him  which  dominated  my  heart  and  life. 

Father,  mother,  and  Laura  had  quite  a  long  talk 
after  our  interview  in  the  library,  and  as  soon  as  I 
went  back  into  the  big  living-room  !  was  treated  with 
evegrmark  of  affection  by  every  one  of  the  family. 

When  Sophie  and  I  returned  to  school,  she  told  her 
companions  what  I  had  told  father,  and  it  veiy  soon 
spread  all  over  the  school.  The  boys  tried  in  tbdr 
crude  way  to  let  me  see  that  they  approved  of  what  I 
had  done  by  all  kinds  of  little  attentions  and  kindnesses, 
by  giving  me  apples,  candy,  and  cake,  offering  to  loan 
me  a  new  ball,  cricket  bat,  Uicrosse,  or  anything  they 
possessed  that  they  thought  I  would  Uke;  in  fact,  I 
was  quite  popular  not  only  with  the  small  boys  of  my 
own  age,  but  with  the  big  boys  who  did  not  usually 


16 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


pay  us  youngsters  much  attention,  but  now,  when 
I  passed  them,  they  would  pat  me  on  the  back  and  call 
meaUttle"brick." 

I  could  hardly  understand  die  changed  conditions, 
for  my  conscience  had  really  been  troubling  me,  think- 
ing I  had  done  something  terribly  wrong  in  being  so 
obstinate,  refusing  to  answer  McGinger,  and  thought 
I  deser^'«;d  some  punishment, — but  not  quite  so  severe 
as  I  had  received.  I  did  not  think  for  a  moment  that 
by  standing  up  and  taking  the  punishment  for  a  crime 
I  had  never  committed  was  anything  out  of  the  way, 
reasoning  in  my  boyish  fashion  that  somebody  had  to 
do  it, — that  Herman  was  so  delicate  he  could  not  stand 
it,  and  I  knew  I  could,  and  being  his  chum  it  was  up  to 
me  to  do  so. 

Herman  had  not  been  to  school  since.  Some  of  die 
boys  told  me  he  was  very  sick.  There  was  nothing 
very  unusual  about  this,  for  he  was  frequently  laid  up. 
So,  after  school  one  day,  I  called  to  see  him.  His 
mother  met  me  at  the  door  and  as  soon  as  she  saw  it 
was  I,  put  her  arms  around  my  neck  and  hugged  and 
kissed  me,  calling  me  all  kinds  of  pet  names,  and 
saying  I  was  the  bravest  little  man  she  ever  knew. 

Then  she  told  me  that  poor  Herman  had  such  an 
attack  of  nervousness  and  fright  when  it  happened, 
that  he  was  unable  to  speak,  although  he  had  tried 
hard,  and  had  absolutely  become  tongue-ded  and  could 
not  utter  a  sound.  His  nerves  were  so  completely 
unstrung,  as  he  realized  the  great  injustice  of  it  all, 
that  he  simply  collapsed  and  fell  from  his  chair  in  a 
dead  faint,  and  had  been  so  sick  ever  since,  the  doctor 
ordered  that  he  was  to  be  kept  perfecdy  quiet,  for- 


EABLY  SCHOOL  DAYS 


17 


bidding  him  to  talk  to  any  one,  and  on  no  account  to 
allow  me  to  sec  him  for  some  time. 

I  went  home,  and  .  i!d  mother  all  about  it.  She 
kissed  me  and  said  J  had  bette.  run  out  and  have  a 
play  with  the  boys  I  efcre  supp  ei.  and,  at  the  same  time, 
telling  me  not  to  talk  any  mere  about  it.  She  was 
beginning  to  be  afraid  that  all  the  petting  and  praise 
which  I  was  receiving  would  turn  my  head  and  make 
me  vain;  but  it  did  not,  for  I  really  did  not  under- 
stand what  it  was  all  about. 

But  it  did  have  this  effect:  Receiving  so  many 
expreraions  <rf  sympathy  and  hearing  of  the  abhorrence 
expressed  by  so  many  people  at  McGinger's  act  (many 
calHng  him  a  brute  and  tyrant),  it  fostered  in  my  heart 
and  mind  a  spirit  of  revenge,  and  I  became  so  angered 
and  infuriated  at  his  brutal  treatment,  I  hrmly  made 
up  my  mind  that  if  I  ever  grew  up  to  be  as  big  a  man 
as  he  was  (for  I  thought  at  that  time  that  he  was  a 
very  large  man),  that  I  would  thrash  him  unril  I  made 
him  feel  as  badly  as  he  made  me  feel.  When  I  had 
firmly  resolved  to  do  this,  I  dropped  the  whole  matter 
by  simply  shelving  it  for  the  rime,  to  wait  until  I  grew 
up  to  manhood.  So  fully  had  I  made  up  my  mind  to 
this  course  of  acrion,  that  at  times  I  would  almost  pity 
McGinger,  knowing  of  the  terrible  Nem^  that  was 
following  on  his  tracks  all  through  life. 

My  father  called,  asking  for  a  private  interview 
widi  him.  I  never  heard  what  he  said  to  McGinger, 
but  I  do  know  that  for  a  bng  time  he  kwked  like  a 
man  who  was  suffering  great  mental  trmible  and  was 
a  very  sad  and  subdued-looking  man. 

Twelve  years  afterwards,  when  I  was  a  strong,  well- 


18  THE  liAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

built,  athletic  young  man  of  twenty-four,  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  putting  this  resolve  into  practice.  I 
TO  hvmg  at  Chicago  at  the  time,  but  on  a  visit  to 
Montreal.  Walking  along  St.  James's  Street,  I  met 
McGinger  face  to  face.  I  stopped  him  and  said, 
So  this  IS  Mr.  McGmger,  is  it?  The  biggest  tyrant 
and  most  heartless  coward  I  ever  heard  of." 

The  old  expression  of  unutterable  rage  took  pos- 
session of  his  highly  flushed  face;  his  lips  were  twitching, 
his  hands  clenched  tight;  he  was  simply  shaking  with 
nervousness.  I  looked  straight  into  his  eyes,  watching 
eveiy  move  that  he  made.    "And  who  might  you  be! 

"Jl  "       manner?"  Said  I, 

Mr.  McGmger,  I  was  once  a  very  small  boy  attend- 
ing one  of  your  schools,  and,  for  a  breach  of  discipline 
(which  I  was  not  responsible  for)  you  thrashed  me  in 
such  a  brutal  manner  that  even  some  of  your  own 
teachers  pronounced  you  a  brute,  and  said  that  you 
were  unfit  to  have  the  charge  of  children,  and  the  boys 
hissed  you  until  you  were  compelled  to  desist.  Perhaps 
you  will  recall  the  episode.    It  had  the  effect  of  pro- 
ducing m  my  mind  such  a  feeling  of  loathing  and  hatred 
for  the  cowardly  act  which  you  were  guilty  of  that  I 
resolved  that  if  ever  I  grew  up  to  manhood  and  had 
the  good  fortune  to  meet  you  again,  I  would  thrash 
you  within  an  inch  of  your  life,  and  wiU  do  it  now  if 
you  make  the  slightest  outcry  (for  the  street  was  well 
fiUcd  with  people)."   He  was  so  frightened  he  was 
absolutely  speechless  and  I  finished  by  saying,  "When 
I  was  that  Uttle  boy.  I  thought  at  the  time  that  you 
were  a  very  big  man,  but  I  find  you  such  a  fittle, 
pusiUanunous,  msignificant  atom  of  humanity,  I  couM 


EARLY  SCHOOL  DAYS  19 

not  think  of  disgracing  my  manhood  by  soiling  my 

fingers  by  touching  you.    You  can  go  your  way,  sir, 

am  not  alone  in 

oitcrtammg  the  opinion  of  you  which  I  have  expressed, 
for  I  have  met  in  my  extended  travels  many  of  my  old 
schoolmates,  and,  without  an  exception,  they  pro- 
nounced you,  sir  (pointing  my  finger  at  him),  a  mean, 
contemptible,  tyrannical  coward,  not  worthy  the  notice 
of  any  manly  man.    Good  day,  sir  I 

With  that  I  left  him,  but  as  I  was  turning  the  comer, 
I  looked  back  and  saw  him  sdU  standing  in  the  same 
place,  seemingly  rooted  to  the  spot. 


CHAPTER  III 


SWORDSMANSHIP 

My  father,  as  I  mentioned  at  the  beginning  of  this 
story,  had  been  an  officer  in  one  of  England's  crack 
Light  Dragoon  regiments  and  was  considered  the  best 
swordsman  and  cleverest  performer  with  the  single 
stick  in  his  regiment.  He  frequently  gave  my  brothers 
and  myself  instructions  in  sword  exercise  and  fencing. 

I  remember  on  many  occasions  his  handing  one 
of  my  brothers  and  myself  stout  hickory  rods,  and 
taking  a  short  piece  of  stick  himself,  perhaps  only 
eighteen  inches  long»  telling  us  to  fall-to,  with  all  our 
might,  and  try  our  very  best  to  hit  him  on  the  head  or 
any  part  of  the  body.  We  tried  our  very  hardest,  he 
parrying  every  blow  aimed  at  him  with  the  greatest 
ease,  until  we  were  both  dred  out.  But  we  never  once 
succeeded  in  touching  him  with  our  sticks,  and,  at  the 
end  of  the  bout,  by  a  dexterous  turn  of  the  wrist 
would  send  them  flying  out  of  our  hands. 

About  two  years  previous  to  th's  time,  when  I  was 
a  little  chap  about  ten  years  of  age,  I  witnessed  a 
wonderful  exhibition  <^  his  skill  in  defending  himself 
against  a  murderous  assault  made  on  him  by  three 
his  own  workmen,  and,  had  they  succeeded,  I  would 
not  be  here  to  record  the  episode,  as  both  he  and  I 
would  certainly  have  been  murdered.  Father's  fac- 
tory was  located  on  the  banks  of  the  can^,  about  a 

ao 


SWORDSBiANSHIP 


21 


mile  and  a  half  from  the  part  of  the  city  where  our 
church  was  located,  and  our  home  was  only  a  short 
distance  from  the  factory.  The  boys  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, for  some  time  back»  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
congregating  in  the  evening  on  the  canal  bank  opposite 
our  factory,  and  when  darkness  came  on,  amusing  them- 
selves by  firing  stones  through  the  windows  and  break- 
ing the  glass.  Scores  of  panes  had  been  broken,  notices 
were  posted  on  the  fences  and  gates  of  the  factory, 
threatening  prosecution  if  the  culprits  were  discovered; 
but  this  only  seemed  to  make  matters  worse,  for  more 
glass  was  broken  than  ever.  So  father  decided  to  hire 
two  detectives — one  concealed  on  the  outside  of  the 
plant,  and  the  other  on  the  inside.  They  succeeded 
in  capturing  four  of  the  boys  the  very  first  night. 
They  were  found  guilty  by  the  court,  and  sentenced 
to  thirty  days  each  in  the  common  jail.  These  boys 
turned  out  to  be  sons  of  his  own  workmen. 

Father  always  attended  the  Wednesday  night 
prayer  service  at  our  church,  and  when  the  weather 
was  fine  I  accompanied  him.  He  never  went  out  at 
night  without  carrying  his  walking  stick.  This  was 
a  heavy  blackthorn,  with  a  silver  knob  for  a  handle. 
We  had  to  walk  along  the  footpath  on  the  bank  of  the 
canal  for  fully  a  mile  before  we  reached  the  fint 
house.  It  was  a  very  dark,  lonely  road,  with  not  a 
single  house  or  light  the  whole  way.  It  was  a  very 
dark  night,  with  heavy  masses  of  clouds  overhead 
behind  which  the  moon  was  hidden,  for  it  was  the  time 
of  the  full  moon.  The  atmosphere  WBt  sultry  and 
humid;  a  typical  July  night. 

We  were  returning  from  the  pnyer-meeting  and 


«  THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

had  just  reached  the  culvert,  the  loneliest  and  most 
deserted  part  of  the  way  home,  when  three  men  jumped 
out  from  the  side  of  the  culvert  where  they  had  been 
in  hiding,  just  as  the  moon  peeped  out  from  behind  a 
cloud. 

They  made  a  rush  for  us,  each  armed  with  a  heavy 
club,  and  attacked  us.  Father  parried  off  the  blows 
with  his  blackthorn  stick,  seizing  me  at  the  same  time 
with  his  left  hand  by  the  coUar  of  my  jacket  and  drop- 
pmg  me  down  the  side  of  the  bank  to  the  horse  road 
about  six  feet  below,  calling  out  to  me  to  remain  per- 
fectly still. 

As  soon  as  he  felt  free  to  act,  knowing  I  was  safe,  he 
stepped  back  and  just  as  fast  as  one  of  the  men  aimed 
a  savage  blow  at  him  with  his  club,  father  would  meet 
It  with  that  dexterous  twist  of  his  wrist  and  send  the 
club  flying  through  the  air,  and  then  the  blackthorn 
would  come  down  with  a  terrific  crash  on  the  man's 
head,  and  he  would  drop  Uke  a  felled  ox,  completely 
stunned  and  senseless.  This  he  did  three  times,  and 
the  three  men  were  lying  as  if  dead  on  the  roadway. 

I  saw  it  all  but  was  simply  paralyzed  with  fright^ 
thmking  my  dear  father  would  be  killed.  The  moon 
had  now  passed  the  big  cloud  that  it  had  been  hiding 
behind  and  was  shining  brightly,  sailing  along  through 
a  wide  open  space  between  two  large  clouds,  brilliantly 
illummatmg  the  canal  bank,  the  canal,  and  the  road- 
way below. 

AH  through  the  fight  father  kept  cheering  me  up, 
calhng  out,  "Jack,  my  boy!  don't  be  a  bit  alarmed,  I 
am  perfectly  safe  and  could  handle  a  half  dozen  scoun- 
drels kke  these."  This  show  of  couiage  and  skiU  so 


SWORDSMANSHIP  n 

terrified  the  men  they  were  easily  beaten  and  were 
soon  lying  at  his  feet,  limp  and  helpless.  As  soon  as 
he  had  subdued  them,  he  called  to  me  to  climb  up  the 
bank,  and  taking  my  straw  hat,  filled  it  with  water,  and 
dashmg  it  on  the  faces  of  the  men,  revived  them,  at 
the  same  time  ordering  them  to  remain  perfectly  still 
where  they  were,  or  he  would  finish  the  work  by  killing 
them.  Needless  to  say,  they  did  not  attempt  to  move, 
iir  •  "Z^^^^'  ^^^'■essed  them,  saying,  "I  know  you, 
Wiggins    (he  was  one  of  the  foremen  in  the  factory); 

I  also  r«»gni2e  you,  Meloy,  and  you,  Hennessy! 
You  can  thank  God  that  you  are  not  murderers,  and 
that  I  know  how  to  handle  a  stick,  for  if  I  had  not,  you 
would  have  murdered  me  and  my  Uttle  son,  and  likely 
thrown  our  bodies  into  the  canal,  and  you  would  have 
had  the  brand  of  Cain  on  you  as  long  as  you  lived,  but 
naost  likely  you  would  have  been  hanged.   Now,  he 
there  where  you  are,  perfectly  quiet,  until  I  ask  God 
to  forgive  you  (as  I  do),  and  at  the  same  time  pray  for 
your  own  forgiveness,"  and  with  that,  father  prayed 
for  tiiem,  portraying  their  wicked  acts  and  intentions 
and  asking  God  to  forgive  them,  as  Satan  had  blinded 
their  eyes  to  the  heinousness  of  the  crime  they  had 
contemplated,  to  change  their  hearts,  and  instead  of 
hearts  of  hate  and  revenge,  to  give  them  hearts  of  love 
and  pity.    "And  now,  men,"  he  said,  "get  up  and 
walk  in  front  of  us,  for  I  cannot  trust  you  yet."  Wig- 
gins burst  out  crying,  and  fe'!  down  at  fatiier's  feet  and 
with  heartbroken  sobs  of  repentance  thanked  father 
for  sparing  his  life,  promising  that,  by  God's  help, 
he  would  from  that  moment  live  a  better  Ufe.  The 
Other  two  men,  having  made  the  samw  promise,  father 


U  THE  BiAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

walked  them  in  front  of  us  until  we  reached  our  home. 
Then  father  faced  them  and  said,  "Men!  I  believe  God 
has  forgiven  you  (as  I  have),  you  can  come  to  work  in 
the  morning,  and  we  will  all  try  to  forget  this  wicked 
night's  business." 

Father  told  me  afterwards  that  in  all  his  business 
experience  he  never  had  more  faithful  men  work  for 
him  than  they  were;  and  they  remained  in  his  employ 
for  many  years  after  that  hideous  night's  experience. 
They  never  tired  trying  to  show  by  their  every  act  that 
their  lives  and  hearts  were  changed,  and  that  their 
repentance  was  sincere. 

I  always  loved  my  father,  and  thought  him  the 
greatest  man  that  ever  lived;  but  from  this  time  on, 
I  almost  worshiped  him. 


CHAPTER  IV 


THE  BIG  BLIZZARD 

The  winters  were  very  severe  in  Canada,  especially 
in  the  suburbs  of  the  larger  cities  and  towns  where 
there  were  large  open  spaces,  or  fields,  without  shelter 
of  any  kind.  Squalls  of  wind  would  sweep  over  these 
unsheltered  localities  with  great  fury,  gathering  the 
snow  as  they  proceeded  in  their  mad  flight,  until  the 
very  atmosphere  became  darkened  with  dense  clouds 
of  not  only  snow,  but  sleet  and  hail;  the  particles 
freezing  together  as  they  hurled  through  space  like 
buckshot,  would  strike  with  almott  the  same  force  as 
if  fired  from  a  gun. 

During  a  storm  of  this  kind  (and  sometimes  for  days 
afterwards)  the  roads  in  and  around  Montreal  were 
blocked,  and  impassable  either  for  man  or  beast.  The 
snow  would  drift  until  it  frequently  reached  the  second 
story  windows  of  our  house,  especially  on  the  stoim 

Many  a  time  Chris,  my  elder  brother,  and  myself 
would  put  on  our  snowshoes,  and  taking  a  couple  of 
snow  shovels  with  us  would  jump  out  of  the  second- 
story  window  and  dig  i  channel  through  the  big  drifts 
which  had  sealed  up  every  means  of  egress,  burying 
the  lower  part  of  the  house  to  a  depth  of  from  eight  to 
ten  feet,  preventing  anyone  from  either  entering  or 
leaving.  We  did  not  consider  this  a  hardship,  but 

as 


«•  THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

thought  it  good  fun,  for  we  were  well  clad  in  light  gray 
suits  and  overcoats  of  heavy  Irish  frieze,  o-  Canadian 
homespun  lined  with  red  flannel  and  seamed  with  the 
•ame  material;  with  a  pointed  hood,  toque,  or  "capu- 
chon,"  fastened  to  the  coat  by  buttons,  sewed  on  under 
the  collar.   The  hood  was  lined  with  red  flannel  It 
was  a  very  warm  contrivance  of  "Habitant"  invenrion. 
By  pullmg  It  up  over  our  caps  and  drawing  it  close 
around  our  faces  by  the  means  of  draw-strings,  shielding 
our  faces  as  much  as  possible  and  preventing  the  wind 
and  sleet  from  blowing  in  at  the  sides,  and  by  winding  a 
heavy  knitted  woolen  muffler  around  our  necks,  on  the 
outside  of  the  capuchon,  nothing  was  exposed  but  our 
tyai.  The  coat  was  bound  rightly  to  our  bodies  by  a 
•ash  m  bnght  cofors,  from  three  to  five  inches  in  width 
and  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  feng,  with  a  heavy  fringe 
at  each  end.   The  sash  was  wound  round  and  round 
our  waists,  from  three  tc  six  rimes,  allowing  the  k>ng 
fnnge  or  tassels  to  hang  down  the  left  side.    We  wore 
kmckerbockers  and  two  or  three  pairs  of  heavy  knitted 
stockings  reaching  above  the  knees,  held  up  by  straps  of 
the  knickerbockers  buckled  tightly  around  the  leg  just 
below  the  knee,  and  last,  but  not  least,  instead  of  boots 
or  shoes,  soft  buckskin  moccasins,  with  fancy  designs 
worked  on  the  tops,  or  vamps,  with  colored  porcupine 
quills.   The  moccasms,  of  course,  were  made  by  the 
Indians.   This  was  a  picturesque  costume,  purely 
Canadian,  and  just  suitable  to  the  climate.  Betnc 
so  well  protected  from  the  cold,  we  spent  most  ofour 
ttme  outdoors  and  ha^  *  3  to  dig  the  snow  away  from 
the  front  and  back  of  tl,e  house  to  Uberate  the  inmates 
we  coMtdered  nothing  strange  or  unusual,  for  we  were 


THE  BIG  BLIZZARD 


97 


itrong,  husky  ladt»  thoroughly  mmtd  to  the  rigon  of 

the  climate. 

An  immense  plain  stretched  for  over  a  mile  on  each 
tide  of  our  house,  and  extended  for  fully  two  miles  in 
the  rear,  perfectly  level,  not  a  single  tree  standing  until 
you  reached  the  woods,  which  hedged  in  the  plain  on 
three  sides,  with  the  factories  and  canal  forming  its 
northern  boundary.  This  was  called  the  "Priests' 
Farm,"  and  had  been  occupied  by  some  priestly 
order  for  many  years,  during  the  time  the  French  were 
in  pottession,  but  when  the  Enghah  conquered  Canada, 
it  reverted  to  the  Crown. 

On  one  very  -ormy  Sunday,  a  blizzard  had  been 
raging  for  the  previous  twenty-four  but  had 

moderated  a  little  by  the  time  we  usually  .started  for 
the  morning  Sunday-School  wttioii.  Father  thought 
it  would  not  be  wise  for  aay  of  ut  to  venture  out  and 
take  the  risk  across  the  open  plain,  but  my  elder 
brother,  Chris,  four  years  older  than  I,  said  he  would 
go  if  father  would  agree,  and  I  induced  father  to  allow 
me  to  go  with  him,  so  we  bundled  up,  put  on  our  snow- 
ahoes,  and  started. 

Of  course  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  horses 
to  travel,  as  the  snow  had  piled  up  in  great  drifts  ten 
to  twelve  feet  high  in  some  places.  The  road,  or  trail, 
was  completely  blotted  out  and  buried  under  an  ava- 
lanche of  snow.  The  snow  was  dry  and  feathery,  and 
rvtn  widi  snowshoes  we  sank  down  quire  deq>  at 
•c^nes,  and  it  was  hard  traveling. 

There  was  what  we  called  the  "Half  Way  House," 
midway  between  our  home  and  the  fringe  of  the  woods 
at  the  edge  of  the  plain,  a  tramp  of  about  three-quarters 


ies  THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

of  a  mile.  It  was  an  old  abandoned  log  hut  of  one 
story,  with  a  door  and  one  window.  We  made  straight 
for  this  hut.  The  snow  was  so  deep  that  it  made  the 
tramping  very  heavy,  but  fortunately  the  storm  was 
at  our  backs.  For  all  this,  we  were  pretty  well  tired 
out  and  mighty  glad  to  reach  this  crude  shelter  and  uke 
a  much-needed  rest.  After  resting  for  a  while,  Chris 
asked  me  if  I  thought  I  could  stand  it  until  we  reached 
the  church.  Although  a  little  bit  exhausted,  I  assured 
him  I  could  pull  through,  so  we  made  another  start  and 
plodded  on,  tumbling  at  times  into  big  crevices  in  the 
snow,  which  we  were  unable  to  see,  as  our  eyes  were 
almost  blinded  by  the  snow  and  ice  clinging  to  our  eye- 
lashes, but  as  soon  as  we  reached  the  first  house  it  was 
easier  going,  for  the  road  had  been  cut  through  with  a 
primitive  snowplow  and  we  soon  reached  the  church. 

When  we  arrived  I  was  pretty  well  used  up,  and  felt 
more  like  lying  down  on  the  floor  and  having  a  good 
sleep  than  taking  part  in  the  services.  The  teachers 
of  the  Sunday  School,  also  the  boys  and  girls,  helped 
us  remove  our  snowshoes  and  outer  clothing,  beating 
and  shaking  them  until  all  the  snow  and  ice  had  been 
removed  and  hanging  them  up  in  the  outer  hall.  All 
were  unstinted  in  their  praises  at  the  plucky  tramp  we 
had  accomplished  in  the  teeth  of  the  worst  storm  we 
had  had  that  winter. 

It  made  me  feel  a  little  bit  proud  upon  overhearing 
a  remark  which  the  Superintendent  made,  when  one  of 
the  teachers  remarked  that  she  thought  father  and 
mother  made  a  mistake  in  allowing  us  to  come  across 
the  plains  on  such  a  terrible  day.  He  said,  "Why, 
those  Arling  boys  were  made  out  of  the  right  kind  of 


THE  BIG  BLIZZABD  29 

stirfF  and  a  bit  of  a  storm  could  not  phase  two  such  boys 
as  Chris  and  Jack."  He  said  that  Major  ArKng  kntw 
what  he  was  about  and  was  making  men  out  of  us. 

By  the  time  church  service  was  over  I  was  feeling 
better,  although  I  must  say  I  had  not  heard  much  of 
the  sermon.  When  the  time  arrived  for  the  return 
tnp,  some  of  the  ladies  suggested  we  had  better  not 
make  the  attempt,  as  the  storm  was  not  over  and  they 
thought  It  a  little  heavier;  but  we  overruled  aU  their 
kind  objections. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  look  of  anxiety  on  Chris's 
face;  he  was  looking  at  me  very  intently  and  I  knew  he 
was  greatly  perplexed,  wondering  in  his  own  mind 
whether  I  could  pull  through.  You  know  I  was  only 
twelve  years  old  at  this  time.  Chris  was  sixteen  and 
had  been  trammg  all  winter  for  the  annual  Snow-shoe 
Kaces  which  were  to  come  off  on  the  fifteenth  of  the  fol- 
lowing month  and  was  in  fine  condition. 

I  was  tremendously  fond  of  Chris,  and  looked  up 
to  him  widi  all  the  proud  admiration  that  a  small  boy 
usually  has  for  a  big  brodier.  I  did  not  want  to  drop 
in  his  estimation,  so  brushed  aU  objections  aside  and 
assured  him  that  I  could  make  it  if  he  could,  and  also 
said  that  if  we  did  not  go  home  fatiier  and  mother 
would  be  very  anxious.  This  settled  it,  and  we  made 
the  start. 

We  reached  die  plain  safely,  but  the  storm  was 
increasing  in  intensity  aU  the  time;  great  masses  of 
heavy  black  clouds  were  piling  up  in  the  west;  the 
wind,  or  gale,  driving  the  snow  and  sleet  strait  into 
our  faces,  almost  blinding  us  and  piercing  the  exposed 
parts  as  if  with  needles.  The  snow  was  swirling  through 


80 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


the  air,  twisting  into  great  columns  like  water-spouts, 
but  we  breasted  it,  Chris  walking  in  the  front  beating  a 
trail  for  me  and  keeping  up  an  incessant  volume  of 
encouraging  talk,  calling  me  all  kinds  of  a  "brick," 
urging  me  to  stick  to  it,  for  we  would  soon  reach  the 
hut  and  then  would  have  a  good  rest.    Whenever  I 
fell  down,  he  would  pick  me  up  and  with  the  greatest 
show  of  affection,  which  he  tried  hard  to  suppress, 
would  give  me  a  good  shaking,  as  he  said,  "to  rid  my 
clothes  of  all  the  snow  which  seemed  to  envebp  me 
like  a  shroud."    But  his  real  object  was  to  shake  new 
life  into  me  by  assisting  circulation,  for  he  saw  that  I 
was  losing  my  grip  (as  the  boys  expressed  it)  and  tried 
to  put  new  life  into  my  ffrooping  spirits.   I  was  simply 
walking  in  a  daze,  and  each  snowshoe  felt  as  though  it 
weighed  a  ton,  and  I  had  an  overpowering  desire  to  lie 
down  in  the  snow  and  go  to  sleep.    Chris  was  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  symptoms  of  death  by  freezing, 
and  was  greatly  alarmed  and  kept  urging  me  on  by 
every  word  at  his  command.   He  walked  beside  me, 
holding  my  arm  in  his  strong  grip  to  keep  me  from  fall- 
ing; almost  carrying  me  unril  we  reached  the  hut,  and 
we  reached  it  just  in  rime,  for  as  soon  as  I  got  inside 
the  door  I  collapsed,  falling  on  the  floor  completely  ex- 
hausted. 

Chris  gave  me  a  very  careful  examination  and  dis- 
covered that  one  of  my  hands  and  part  of  my  face  and 
nose  were  frozen;  but  after  rubbing  the  affected  parts 
for  some  rime  vigorously  with  snow,  gradually  re- 
stored circulation.  As  soon  as  this  was  done  he  lifted 
me  up  and  forced  me  to  walk  up  and  down  the  floor  of 
the  hut,  shaking  and  pounding  me  all  the  time  to  keep 
off  the  drowsiness  which  I  seemed  to  have  no  power  to 


THE  BIG  BUZZARD  si 

shake  off.  At  last  he  succeeded  in  bringing  me  around, 
so  that  I  could  speak,  and  from  that  time  on  he  kept 
up  an  mcessant  flow  of  talk,  especially  on  the  snow- 
shoe  races,  for  that  was  the  most  interesting  subject 
ot  conversation  to  me  at  that  time. 

It  was  now  four  o'clock,  three  hours  from  the  time 
we  had  left  the  church,  and  ahnost  dark.  Poor  Chris 
was  almost  bereft  of  his  senses,  not  knowing  what 
to  do;  he  had  taken  ofl="  his  blanket  coat,  putting  it  on 
me  over  my  own,  binding  it  tight  to  my  body  with  his 
sash,  as  well  as  mine,  but  just  as  he  had  almost  given  up 
horj  he  heard  the  shouts  of  a  party  of  men  and  the 
barking  of  a  dog—my  great  Dane  dog,  "  Y  nkee  " 
Yankee  came  bounding  into  the  hut  a  Kttle  ahead  of 
the  searching  party,  headed  by  my  dear  father. 

Father  and  the  men  wore  the  wide  snowshoes  used 
for  walkmg,  and  even  with  these,  sank  deep  at  every 
step,  for  the  snow  was  light,  but  very  deep.  They 
brought  along  two  large  toboggans  loaded  with 
blankets,  buffalo  robes,  provisions,  and  tea,  which 
they  brewed  over  a  small  alcohol  stove  which  they 
brought  with  them. 

The  food  and  tea  soon  revived  me,  for  I  was  almost 
famished  with  hunger.    Father,  on  his  arrival  with  the 
men,  said  but  little,  but,  used  up  as  I  was,  I  could  see 
that  his  heart  was  very  full  of  love  for  us.  and  thank- 
fulness to  God  for  our  providential  escape.    He  folded 
me  m  his  arms  and  kissed  me  several  times,  and  did 
V   f*"f.7»*  ^"s.    But  if  the  others  kept  quiet, 
Yankee  did  not,  for  he  and  I  were  great  chums.   He  was 
simply  bubbling  over  with  joy,  for  he  had  taken  in 
the  situation  at  once,  and  I  think  his  barks  of  delight 
as  he  jumped  around  that  little  hut,  did  as  much 


82 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


to  put  new  life  into  me  as  all  the  efforts  of  father  and 
the  men.  He  would  lick  my  hands  and  shove  his 
big  snout  in  my  face,  jumping  around  and  barking, 
trying  to  give  expression  in  his  own  dog  fashion  at  his 
delight  and  happiness  in  finding  me  safe,— for  it  was 
really  he  that  found  me.  .  He  piloted  the  searching 
party  through  the  blinding  storm  and  the  drifts,  keep- 
ing up  an  incessant  barking  for  fear  they  would  lose 
their  way,  and  brought  them  safe  to  the  hut,  and  I 
really  believe  he  knew  it.  Well,  they  arrived  just  in 
the  nick  of  time.  I  was  pretty  nearly  gone,  and  all 
agreed  that  if  they  had  been  a  few  minutes  later  in 
arriving,  they  would  have  been  too  late. 

Up  to  this  time,  all  the  attention  of  father  and  the 
men  had  been  paid  to  me,  but  now  they  thought  that 
perhaps  Chris  might  need  a  little  help.  The  poor  fellow 
had  been  laboring  under  such  a  terrible  nervous  strain 
that  he  was  nearly  all  in.  He  was  sitting  on  the  floor 
in  the  comer  of  the  hut,  with  his  head  between  his 
hands  and  his  heart  filled  to  the  point  of  bursting. 
They  told  him  diat  I  was  coming  through  all  right,  to 
cheer  up,  and  put  on  his  coat  and  they  would  all  make 
a  break  for  home;  but  the  tension  had  been  too  great; 
the  reaction  had  set  in,  and  he  burst  into  tears  and 
cried  like  a  child. 

It  was  very  cold  in  the  hut,  fully  twenty  degrees 
below  zero,  so  father  bundled  me  up  in  the  blankets, 
took  me  up  in  his  arms  and  carried  me  out,  laying  me 
down  flat  on  one  of  the  toboggans,  covering  me  with  the 
buflf"alo  robes,  and  aften  strapping  me  in  safely,  all 
started  on  the  back  trail  for  home,— Yankee  leading  the 
procession. 


CHAPTER  V 


THE  SNOW-SHOE  RACES 

Our  thoughts  now  were  all  on  the  coming  Snow- 
Shoe  Races  which  were  to  be  pulled  off  in  two  weeks. 
The  event  was  called,  "The  Montreal  Annual  Snow- 

Shoe  Mee'." 

Of  all  outdoor  sports,  this  was  the  most  popular. 
Every  man,  woman  and  child  was  interested,  for  this 
great  event  had  beoi  the  topic  of  conversation  for 
months.  Father  had  always  encouraged  us  to  go  in  for 
all  kinds  of  athletic  exercises,  especially  where  they 
took  us  outdoors,  for  he  believed  that  of  all  places 
Canada  needed  strong  men  and  women. 

Snow-shoeing  was  his  hobby,  and  although  a  very 
consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  which  to 
a  certain  extent  tried  to  frown  down  public  races,  yet 
I  could  see,  as  the  time  approached  for  the  races  to 
come  off,  he  was  getting  a  little  more  excited  each  day; 
especially  so  as  Chris  was  to  be  one  of  the  performers. 

At  last  the  long-expected  day  arrived,  and  at  one 
o'clock  sharp  on  time,  John  Baptist,  our  driver,  drove 
up  to  the  door  with  our  spanking  pair  of  gray  horses, 
hauling  behind  them  a  very  large  box-sleigh.  It  took 
alj  the  muscle  he  could  bring  into  play  to  hold  them 
still,  as  they  were  champing  their  bits,  bobbing  their 
heads  up  and  down  to  make  the  bells  on  their  heads  and 

3S 


M 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


harness  jingle,  and  pawing  the  snow  up  with  theii  hoofs 
until  they  covered  us  with  a  feathery  white  bknkrt. 

The  bottom  of  the  sleigh  was  covered  with  a  deep 
bed  of  straw.  Father,  mother,  Chris,  the  girls  and 
myself  all  piled  in  and  nestled  down  in  it  and  covered 
ourselves  well  with  the  buffalo  robes. 

When  John  Baptist  loosened  his  grip  on  the  reins 
and  gave  a  shrill  whistle,  the  horses  just  bounded  off 
with  the  greatest  glee. 

"Yaw  Bateece"  (as  that  is  the  way  he  pronounced 
his  name)  said,  '*  By  Gar,  dese  horse  'e  e  'ees  fly  fordem 
race  for  sure,  e'ees  youst  ron,  ron  all  de  tam,  youst  lak 
de  diable,  an'  hevare  stop.  By  Gar,  e'ees  ron  vara  fas' 
for  sure,"  and  we  were  off  to  the  music  of  the  sleigh 
bells,  and  a  happier  family  party  never  went  for  a 
sleigh  drive.  Yankee,  as  usual,  headed  the  procession, 
bounding  through  the  snow  and  barking  with  delight, 
jumping  up  at  the  noses  of  the  horses  as  if  trying  to 
kiss  them.  The  horses  were  very  fond  of  him  and  he 
of  them,  for  he  always  slept  under  the  manger  of  one 
or  the  other,  preferring  it  to  his  own  house. 

The  race  course  was  out  at  Point  St.  Charles,  about 
three  miles  away.  The  track  was  laid  out  on  a  piece 
of  level  prairie,  part  of  the  Priests'  Farm,— a  dense 
woods  ran  along  one  side  of  the  track,  which  made  a 
fine  shelter  when  storming.  ' 

The  committee  had  marked  out  a  circular  course  of 
a  half  mile,  and  a  number  of  snow-shoe  clubs  had 
tramped  over  and  over  the  course,  until  the  snow  was 
bedded  down  as  flat  and  as  level  as  the  top  of  a  bilKard 
table.  A  small  stand  had  been  erected  at  one  end  of 
the  course  for  the  judges.  The  day  was  fine,  the  glass 


THE  SNOW-SHOE  RACES  85 

standing  at  about  eight  to  ten  below  zero,  with  no  wind; 
a  more  perfect  day  could  not  be  had;  the  sun  was 
shming  brightly,  and  not  a  cloud  was  to  be  seen. 

Sleighs  were  arriving  on  the  grounds  from  all  parts 
of  the  aty  and  from  all  the  suburban  towns  and  vil- 
lages;  a  more  cosmopoUtan  crowd  could  not  be  found 
anywhere.    Bankers,  merchants,  manufacturers,  pro- 
fessional  men  with  their  families,  coming  from  all  parts 
of  Montreal    Habitants  from  long  distances  and 
dressed  m  their  homespun  suits,  with  their  wives  and 
children,  arrived  in  their  box-sleighs,  deeply  bedded 
down  with  straw  and  buffalo  robes,  looking  comfortable 
and  happy.   Then  there  were  Indians,  squaws,  with 
their  children,  and  the  papooses  were  held  in  the  arms 
of  their  squaw  mothers,  sheltering  them  under  their 
blankets,   making  a  very  picturesque  part  of  the 
assemblage,  wearing  their  varied-colored  bhnkets. 
beaded  leggings  and  moccasins. 

Everyone  that  could  get  an  afternoon  off  was  there, 
for  each  one  ui  this  big  crowd  had  some  favorite  runnel 
going  to  take  part  in  the  great  Annual  Snow-Shoe  Races. 
Sleighs  of  every  description;  in  fact,  everything  that 
ran  on  runners  was  pressed  into  service  and  was  in 
evidence,  all  loaded  down  with  happy,  healthy-looking 
occupants  mtent  on  having  a  good  time.  The  sleighs 
were  aned  up  aU  around  the  circular  half-mile  track 
and  in  p  aces  two  and  three  deep,  while  those  on  foot 
niled  in  all  the  intervening  spaces. 

Everyone  was  welcome  to  come  and  look  on,  free  of 
charge,  and  it  looked  as  though  all  that  could  come  had 
wme  It  was  a  great  crowd  of  happy,  good-natured 
tookmg  people  of  both  sexes  and  of  all  ages,  from  the 


M  THE  ICAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


gray-haired  grandfathers  and  grandmothers  to  the  little 
babies  in  their  mothers'  arms.  All  had  come  for  a  good 
tune,  and  were  going  to  have  it. 

Chris  had  been  training  faithfully  for  aome  weekf, 
coached  by  an  old  snow-shoe  racer  who  was  so  sure  he 
would  win  that  he  was  ready  to  risk  his  last  dollar  on 
him.  Chris  never  boasted  of  what  he  expected  to 
accomplish,  but  he  had  an  expresricm  <d  fixed  deter- 
mination on  his  face  diat  boded  no  good  for  hii  oppo- 
nents, for  he  was  a  mi^ty  speedy  runner  in  a  hundred- 
yard  dash. 

The  opening  event  was  the  two-mile  race,  or  four 
times  around  the  track,  for  amateurs  over  eighteen. 
The  bugle  sounded  "The  Assemble,"  and  as  they  lined 
up  along  the  upe  die  band  pbyed  "Rule  Britannia." 

About  fifty  young  men  got  into  line  for  this  event. 
All  the  runners  were  dressed  alike,  with  the  exception 
of  the  colors  which  represented  their  different  clubs. 
Their  knickerbockers  were  made  of  white  bbnket, 
the  blue,  red,  or  colored  borders  of  the  bknket  forming 
a  stripe  around  the  leg  just  above  the  knee,  and  around 
the  skirts  of  the  coat,  when  worn.  Their  stockings, 
knitted  caps  and  silk  sashes  were  of  the  same  color  as 
the  stripes,  indicating  the  colors  of  the  respective  clubs. 
They  usually  wore  undershirts,  either  in  white  or  club 
colors.  They  of  course  used  the  Icuig  taper  racing 
snow-shoe,  made  by  the  best  Indian  experts  at  Cogna- 
waga,  the  Indian  village  opposite  Lachine  and  the 
Lachine  Rapids. 

At  last  they  got  them  all  lined  up  and  at  the  sound 
of  the  pistol  the  crowd  yelled  "They  are  offl"  Pan- 
demonium seemed  to  be  looae.  Shoutin|^  cheering, 


THE  SNOW-SHOE  BACES 


yelling,  the  women  and  children  screaming  at  the  tops 
of  their  voices  and  waving  their  handkerchiefs,  the 
small  boys  putting  their  fingers  to  their  mouths  sending 
out  ear-splitting  whistles  and  even  the  dogs  barking 
and  yelping,  eveiyone  doing  his  level  best  to  encourage 
and  cheer  some  favorite  runner,  and  if  they  had  no  fa- 
vorite, and  were  not  acquainted  with  any  of  the  con- 
testants, they  thought  it  their  duty  and  the  correct 
thmg  to  make  a  noise  anyhow,  on  general  principles. 

I  recall  very  vividly  one  of  the  runners  in  that  race, 
and  as  young  as  I  was,  picked  him  out  as  a  winner, 
and  all  the  party  did  the  same.  He  appeared  to  be 
about  twenty;  straight  as  an  arrow,  with  the  muscles 
on  his  arms  standing  out  like  whipcords,  well  devel- 
oped chest  showing  great  lung  power,  jet  black  hair 
and  dear  complexion.  I  thought  he  was  surely  going 
to  win,  but  I  did  not  understand  all  the  tricks  of  the 
game  as  I  did  afterwards,  when  I  became  a  four-mile 
snow-shoe  runner  myself. 

I  was  more  than  surprised  to  see  the  whole  field 
get  ahead  of  him  right  from  the  very  start,  leaving  him 
almost  in  the  rear  for  the  first  half  mile;  but  on  the 
second  rime  around  the  course,  he  had  gradually  forged 
his  way  up  to  about  the  middle  of  the  bunch  of  runners, 
and  on  the  third  lap  was  srill  making  headway;  but 
on  the  fourth  and  last  lap  he  gradually  crept  up  inch 
by  inch  until  he  was  abreast  of  the  Indian  who  was 
leading,  and  they  ran  neck  and  neck  for  the  first  half 
of  the  last  lap,  then  the  pace  began  to  increase,  running 
so  evenly  side  by  side,  you  would  think  there  was  only 
one  man  running. 

The  crowd  was  almost  breathless  with  excitement 


88 


THE  liAKINO  OF  A  CANADIAN 


thinking  it  was  going  to  be  a  tie,  but  just  about  one 
hundred  yards  from  the  tape,  "Milloy"  (for  that  was 
his  name)  began  to  forge  ahead,  inch  by  inch,  and 
passed  under  the  tape  a  winner  by  two  feet. 

The  crowds  were  swept  off  their  feet  with  excite- 
ment and  cheered  and  yelled  until  the  sound  must  have 
been  heard  in  Montreal. 

Milloy's  friends  broke  through  the  ropes,  and  rolling 
him  up  in  blankets,  hmsted  him  upon  thdr  shoulders 
and  carried  him  to  his  quarters  headed  by  the  band, 
playing  "Here  the  Conquering  Hero  Comes." 

Again  the  bugle  sounded  and  the  second  event  was 
on  the  programme.  The  one-mile  snow-shoe  race  for 
men  over  twenty-five  was  announced,  and  the  same 
excitement  prevailed  as  on  die  previous  race. 

"Yaw  Bateece"  was  getting  more  excited  and  ner- 
vous every  moment  as  the  time  for  the  race  which  our 
Chris  had  entered  for  approached,  and  he  asked  father 
to  take  the  reins  as  he  wanted  to  go  as  far  as  Chris's 
quarters  to  see  if  they  were  handling  him  right.  Father 
let  him  off,  and  that  was  the  last  we  saw  of  him  until 
the  races  were  over. 

The  bugle  sounded  again,  and  the  announcer  yelled 
out  through  the  megaphone:  "Race  for  boys;  one 
hundred-yard  dash;  three  heats;  best  two  out  of 
three."  "No  boy  under  sixteen  or  over  eighteen 
allowed  to  run,"  he  announced. 

And  this  was  where  our  family  got  excited,  as  diis 
was  the  race  our  Chris  was  entered  for. 

Twenty-five  as  fine  looking  lads  as  one  could  wish  to 
look  at  lined  up  for  this  event.  I  could  hardly  get 
my  breath  as  I  was  keyed  up  to  such  a  pitch  of  aer- 


THE  SNOW-SHOE  BACES  a» 

vous  excitement.   I  could  feel  the  blood  coursing 

through  my  veins  and  my  heart  playing  a  tattoo  on 
my  nbs,  for  Chns  was  my  beau  ideal  of  all  that  a  boy 
•hould  be;  but  I  kept  perfectly  still,  watching  every 
move  of  the  boys  as  they  fined  up,  and  I  really  think 
that  I  prayed  to  God  that  arit  might  win.  The 
pistol  cracked  and  the  crowd  shouted  "They're  offl" 
Chns  did  not  get  the  lead  but  was  only  half  a  breast 
behmd  the  leader.   The  shouting  and  cheering  was 
tlmoet  deafenmg,  but  above  all  the  noise  and  racket 
we  heard  the  shrill  piercing  scream  of  a  falsetto  voice, 
yelhng  until  you  would  think  his  throat  would  give  out: 
Ron,  Chrees,  ron  lak  de  diable.    Sacre!  dat  Injun 
White  Fedder  e'ees  ron  too  vara  fas',  hot  no  lak  Chrees, 
Chrees  e'ees  win,  sure  ting!" 

But  the  boys  paid  no  attention  to  the  racket,  but 
were  straining  every  muscle  to  make  an  inch  or  two, 
for  every  inch  counts  in  a  short  dash.  At  the  fifty- 
yard  post,  Chris  had  caught  up  and  was  running  neck 
and  neck  with  the  Indian  "White  Feather";  at  the 
Mxty  post  he  was  just  a  little  ahead;  when  father 
saw  this,  he  forgot  his  dignity  for  the  moment,  and 
yelled  at  the  top  of  his  voice:  "Good  boy,  Chris! 
stick  to  it,  son!"  This  seemed  to  put  new  liie  into 
Chris,  for  he  recognized  father's  voice  and  fairly  flew 
over  the  balance  of  the  course,  and  jumped  through  the 
tape  just  one  neck  ahead. 

Then  the  crowd  let  then^selves  loose,  for  this  was 
always  a  favorite  race.  Men,  women,  boys  and  girls  alike 
yelling,  screaming,  shouting,  waving  their  handkerchiefs, 
flags,  hats,  or  anything  that  came  to  hand  that  would 
■hgw  their  pleasure,  and  theii  exuberance  of  spirits. 


40         THE  MAKING  09  A  CANADIAN 


The  crowd  ^gain  broke  through  the  ropes,  and 
after  rolling  Chris  up  in  a  large  buffalo  robe  so  that 
nothing  could  be  seen  of  htm  but  bit  head,  th«y  hoitted 
him  up  on  their  shoulders  and  carried  him  to  his  tent, 
the  band  blaring  out,  "Hm  the  Conquering  Hero 
Comes." 

I  had  jumped  the  lopes  with  the  crowd  and  arrived 
at  the  tent  the  tame  time  that  he  did.  '  was  to  proud 
of  him  I  could  not  keep  my  hands  off  '  m  and  kept 
patting  him  on  the  hcaJ  ali  the  time  the  trainers  were 
rubbing  him  down,  and  remained  with  him  during  the 
interval  between  the  heats,  which  the  runners  were 
allowed,  for  rest;  and,  as  they  said,  "  time  to  get  their 
second  wind." 

An  Obstacle  Race  was  run  oW  between  heats,  but 
I  did  not  go  out  to  see  it  run  for  I  had  lost  all  interest 
in  any  race  but  the  Hundred-yard  Dash,  in  which 
my  brother  Chris  was  a  performer,  so  just  sac  by  him 
and  listened  to  the  praises  heaped  up<m  him  by  his 
admirers,  and  he  certainly  had  many,  for  old  experi- 
enced snow-shoe  runners  were  giving  him  all  kinds  of 
pointers  and  tips  which  he  listened  to  very  intently, 
but  taking  his  honors  modestly,  being  aware  that  the 
race  was  not  yet  over. 

Th  e  bugle  sounded  again  and  the  announcer  shouted 
through  the  megaphone:  "One-hundr«l  yard  darii, 
second  heat!"  Chris  was  up  with  a  jump,  making  a 
bee-line  for  the  judge's  stand.  The  snow-shoes  were 
examined  to  see  that  they  were  in  good  condition,  and 
properly  fastoied  on.  M  eyes  were  now  on  Chris 
and  his  Indian  opponent  "White  Feather,"  for  every- 
one knew  that  one  or  the  other  would  win  the  race. 


TBS  ssommtm  mss  41 

JP*^  n'nrf  up  M  bi«»e~€imt  was  away  off  r .  the 
nght~a  r  the  Iiute  to  d»  lift,  or  imide,  giving  l»in  a 
slight  ad '  antage. 

At  the  crack  of  th  ^nstol  they  were  off,  getting  a 
taj  even  start.  The  Indian  had  a  very  determined 
look  on  his  face,  hit  nostrils  were  distended  hke  the 
nottrih  of  a  blooded  horM,  and  almott  flashing 
from  1  s  eyes  he  was  a  mi^^  ^oe  spmmm  of  a  fiilZ 
biooded  vi 

Oiris  and  r  le  Ind..  i  sooi  th.  rocession,  amidst 
the  cheers  and  laudits  of  ^hc  ->st  ited  nd  enthu- 
naittc  crowd  I  ever  saw  .4t  ute  .  ,  -yar.  post  they 
were  runmnf  n^k  an  »ck  as  in  the  fim  h-at,  using 
up  evcTo.  .ce  fore.  >ir  bodies,  and  going  at  a 
flying  ce;  >e  -  -ard  post,  Chris  stubbed  the 
toe  ot  „.s  s  w-  .oc  hich  gave  the  Indian  a  slight 
advantage  and  he  cr  ssed  the  upe  a  few  inches  ahead 
of  Chns- 

The      >wd    irr    v  sboated  themselves  hoarse, 

kr  ig  at  -h,  c  h-zt  would  ecUpse  all  other 
races^  iorjthe  .  ex<  itement,  as  it  would  decide 

wieAer  Chns  Indian  was  to  be  the  champion 

for  rhe  year.  n  woe  both  carried  to  their  tents  as 
before,^  adiar  doing  the  honors  for  White  Feather, 
wh  Th:  was  well  cared  for  by  his  trainers,  who 
jisist  h  lould  be  kept  perfectly  quiet  for  the  half 
hour  t  ween  leats;  so  everyone  was  pac  out  of  the 
ten  hue  die  in-  rs  and  myself.  Chris  asked  that  I 
raie,nt  r  jmain. 

The  bugle  sounded  at  the  end  of  the  alloted  time. 
Lhns  sprang  up  from  his  mattress  with  fire  in  his  eyes, 
saymg  to  me  in  a  whisper,  "Don't  get  scared,  Jack,  for 


42 


THE  BiAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


I'll  win  sure."  Chris  had  the  inside  of  the  line  for 
this  heat,  and  at  the  crack  of  the  pistol  was  off  like  a 
deer,  taking  the  lead  from  the  very  start,  the  Indian 
dogging  his  steps  every  inch  of  the  way.  The  strain 
was  a  heavy  one,  for  they  were  well  matched,  and  full 
of  grit.  Do  what  he  could,  the  Indian  could  not  gain 
a  single  inch,  but  as  they  advanced  Chris  was  making 
the  gap  between  them  a  little  wider  all  the  time. 
Every  atom  of  energy  in  both  of  their  bodies  was 
brought  into  play,  they  were  both  wet  with  perspira- 
tion and  it  was  dropping  from  their  faces  in  beads; 
but  Chris  never  lost  the  lead  from  the  start  and  dashed 
under  the  tape  a  winner  by  three  yards. 

Oh!  how  that  crowd  did  roar,  shout  and  hurrah, 
following  Chris  in  hundreds,  as  diey  carried  him  to  his 
tent  mounted  on  the  shoulders  of  a  few  of  his  most 
enthusiastic  admirers,  the  band  blaring  out  as  usual, 
"Here  the  Conquering  Hero  Comes." 

I  think  I  was  the  proudest  boy  in  the  crowd  that 
day,  for  my  big  brother  was  the  champion  fast  runner 
for  that  year;  and  my!  but  how  they  did  praise  Chris, 
slapping  him  on  the  back  and  telling  him  over  and  ova: 
again  he  was  the  finest  boy  in  the  land,  and  his  father 
ought  to  be  proud  of  him.  Chris  was  tremendously 
elated  at  winning  the  race  but  quiet  and  modest  under 
all  the  praise  that  was  heaped  upon  him. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen  coming  from  all  parts  of  the 
field  to  shake  him  by  the  hand,  congratulatmg  him  on 
his  success.  Father  and  mother  also  came  in  for  their 
share  of  attention;  and  I  can  assure  you  they  were  very 
proud  of  Chris  as  we  all  were. 

As  soon  as  Oins  wsu  drened,  CMie  gentleman  cum 


THE  SNOW-SHOE  RACES  « 

forward  and  insuted  that  he  should  wear  his  Persian 
Iamb  coat  as  he  was  afraid  Chris  would  take  cold: 
but  Chns  had  to  decline  the  honor  as  the  coat  was  miles 
too  b,g  for  him.  Chris  asked  to  be  taken  to  the  tent 
of  his  opponent,  White  feather,  the  Indian;  and  srill 
surrounded  by  a  big  crowd  of  his  admirers,  they  con- 
ducted him  to  the  other  side  of  the  field,  where  the 
Indians  had  formed  a  little  colony  by  themselves. 

When  Chns  entered  the  tent,  he  grasped  White 
Feather  by  the  hand,  and  said:  «  White  Feather,  I  am 
glad  to  know  you.  Although  I  won  the  race,  you  are 
every  bit  as  good  a  runner  as  I  am,  and  I  only  hope  we 
wiU  be  able  to  have  another  race  before  long."  AU 
the  Indians,  squaws,  and  papooses  flocked  around 
chns  and  thought  vhis  a  very  gracious  act  on  his  part; 

At  the  close  of  the  races,  aris  was  presented  with 
a  very  handsome,  large  silver  tankard,  suitably  in- 
scribed, as  the  "Champion  Runner  in  the  Hundred- 
yard  Snow-shoe  Race"  for  that  year,  and  the  Indian 
with  a  sUver  goblet,  for  second  prize. 


CHAPTER  VI 


SPORTS  ON  THE  ICE 

The  winters  in  Lower  Canada,  at  the  time  of  iK^idi 
I  write,  were  so  severe  that  by  January  of  each  year  the 
St.  Lawrence  River,  in  spite  of  its  Swift  current,  would 
freeze  to  a  depth  of  from  four  to  eight  feet,  forming  a 
natural  ice  bridge  from  the  city  to  the  opposite  shore. 
To  test  the  ice  and  its  safety  for  traffic,  an  old  Habitant 
had  been  empbyed  for  many  years  to  break  die  trail 
for  the  first  road  across  to  St.  Lamberts,  when  the  ice 
took,  as  he  expressed  it,  and  the  way  he  accomplished 
the  feat  was  to  procure  an  old  worn-out  horse  and 
putdrig  a  bridle  on  him  with  very  large  blinders,  and 
long  light  ropes  attached  to  the  bit,  to  be  uMd  as  r^s, 
so  that  the  horse  would  be  about  twenQr  feet  ahead  of 
him,  and  with  the  aid  of  a  whip  with  a  very  long  lash, 
which  by  dextrous  manipulation  he  could  keep  whirl- 
ing through  the  air  in  great  coils  circling  around  his 
head  like  an  immense  snake.  At  the  right  moment, 
he  could  force  it  forward  with  great  velocity  and  make  a 
straight  bee-line  for  that  poor  old  horse,  and  couid 
make  it  strike  him  on  any  part  of  his  anatomy,  and 
at  the  same  time  frightening  the  poor  brute  out  of  its 
wits  by  the  loud  report  or  crack  which  it  produced, 
and  for  the  moment  infuse  a  little  more  life  into  him. 

Of  course  this  was  very  slow  traveling,  but  die  old 


SFOBTS  ON  THE  ICE 


4S 


Habiunt  knew  his  job  thoroughly,  and  "ikm  but  sure" 

was  his  motto.  He  kept  his  eyes  fixed  at  the  point  on 
the  St.  Lamberts  shore,  which  was  his  objective, 
urging  the  poor  old  beast  forward  both  by  whip  and 
voice,  but  making  headway  all  the  time.  Hundreds 
of  people  were  gathered  on  each  shore  watching  his 
progress  and  expecting  every  moment  to  see  the  old 
horse  drop  through  some  air-hole  or  thin  spot  in  the 
ice  and  carried  down  by  the  current  to  certain  death. 
This  nearly  always  happened  on  the  first  attempt  in 
crossing;  when  it  did,  the  Habitant  would  immediately 
let  go  the  ropes  for  fear  of  being  dragged  down  himself, 
and  allow  him  to  go,  but  carefully  marking  the  place 
so  that  he  would  know  it  the  next  trip  and  then  retrace 
his  steps  to  the  Montreal  shore  and  give  the  weak  spot 
a  chance  to  freeze  soUd  during  the  night. 

The  next  day  he  would  repeat  the  same  performance, 
and  if  he  was  successful  in  making  the  crosdn^  would 
repeat,  but  this  time  with  a  heavy  sleigh  harnessed  to 
the  horse,  and  dri^e  him  ahead  of  him  as  before.  If 
he  succeeded  in  reaching  the  opposite  shore  without 
any  mishap,  would  then  load  the  sleigh  with  stones 
and  if  he  accomplished  the  journey  safely,  would  rest 
for  a  day  or  two  to  make  sure  the  frost  had  made  the 
bridge  firmer.  A  number  of  sleigh  loads  of  cedar  trees 
would  then  start  across  the  trail  under  his  supervision 
and  the  men  would  plant  them  into  sockets  in  the  ice, 
filial  with  snow  broth,  and  hold  them  in  an  upright 
position  -mtil  the  stems  were  frozen  in  solid.  They 
were  o  d  on  each  side  of  the  road  at  intervals  of 
ten  t,.  ,enty  feet  apart,  from  Montreal  to  St.  Lam- 
berts.   When  this  was  all  done  and  he  had  made  a 


48 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


great  mi^iy  tests  by  boring  through  the  ice  and  measur- 
ing its  tiiickness  at  different  places  all  the  way  across, 
a  few  men  were  allowed  to  cross  with  their  teams,  grad- 
ually increasing  the  number  until  perfectly  assured  that 
the  road  was  safe;  then  it  was  declared  open  to  the 
public  for  travel. 

Freight  trains  are  used  every  winter  in  crossing 
the  river,  and  the  same  care  is  used  in  opening  up  the 
road  for  railroad  travel  as  is  exercised  in  opening  up 
the  road  for  horses,  vehicles,  and  pedestrians,  with 
this  exception:  The  tracks  are  never  laid  until  they 
are  absolutely  assured  that  there  is  a  great  depth  of 
ice,  and  it  is  some  time  after  they  are  laid  before  they 
will  risk  testing  the  carrying  po,/er  of  the  ice  with  plat- 
form cars.   TTie  ties  are  laid  down  on  the  ice  at  the 
same  intervals  as  they  lay  them  down  for  an  ordinary 
ballasted  road,  but  instead  of  filling  them  in  with  gravel, 
they  fill  in  with  snow,  pouring  on  water  and  packing 
it  down  tight  as  they  fill  it  in,  until  it  becomes  almost 
flush  with  the  surface  of  the  ties,  and  frozen  into  solid 
ice.  No  railroad  track  has  as  solid  a  bed  as  this.  As 
soon  as  the  ties  are  laid  down  and  frozen  in,  they  lay 
the  rails,  fastening  them  on  ;v^ith  spikes  in  the  usual 
way.   Next,  they  test  its  carrying  power  by  dragging 
across  a  flat-car  by  the  aid  of  long  ropes;  next,  a  box- 
car, then  a  loaded  box-car,  and  gradually  increase 
the  weight  and  pressure  on  die  ice,  until  they  send  an 
old,  obsolete  engine  across, — of  course  not  under  it» 
own  steam,  but  hauled  over  by  men  with  long  ropes 
and  a  good  distance  intervening  between  them  and  the 
engine.   Finding  the  ice  strong  enough  to  carry  this 
weight,  they  then  allow  trains  to  pass  over;  a  few  empty 


SPORTS  ON  THE  ICE  47 

cars  first,  mcreanng  the  wdght  until  the  road  is  de- 
clared strong  enough  to  carry  ordinaiy  freight  trains. 

As  soon  as  the  ice  is  thick  enough,  the  river  become, 
d^e  great  mecca  for  all  the  young  people  who  are  fond 

Fr^^'  V"^* enterprising 
IWKCanadians  lay  out  skating  rinks  close  to  the 

face  of  the  ice  and  forming  it  into  banks  or  walls  in- 
c^o  mg  a  space  of  about  three  hundred  by  two  hundred 

co«/"r/"™,?'"^,^*'''  °"  ^^"5  ""til  they  be- 
come  sohd  walk  of  ,ce;  they  then  decorate  the  tops  of 
he  walls  or  bank,  with  cedar  tree,  and  flags,  gfving 
the  nnk  an  attractive  appearance,  both  from  if  out! 
side  as  well  as  on  the  inside.   At  one  end  would  be 

both  sides  so  that  no  one  could  enter  the  rink  without 
pacing  trough  the  shack.  This  was  heated  by  a 
f  r^;T  »>ox  tove  which  threw  out  a 

The  ice'on  "  comfortable. 

1  he  ,ce  on  the  nnk  was  always  in  fine  condition  and 

r^^lh"^  I^^^"'"*".'  ^  little  bit 

rough,  all  they  needed  to  do  was  to  pump  on  a  little 
more  water  and  in  a  Aort  half^uV  the  ice  would 

col  '^"^  ^       ~nts  you 

could  enter  the  shack,  put  on  your  skates  in  the  warm 

''''^"S^  ^^^^  door  directly 
onto  the  ice,  where  you  would  always  find  throngs  of 
young  men,  women,  boys  and  girls  skating  round  and 
round  m  an  endless  procession  on  the  outskirts  of  the 

middl^ *  "  ^''^     ^  » 

On  certain  occasions  they  would  have  a  small  bnu. 


48  THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

band  to  enliven  the  proceedings  with  music;  when 
a  waltz  was  played,  the  skaters  would  soon  find  part- 
ners and  in  a  moment  would  be  whirling  them  round, 
as  you  can  only  do  on  skates,  gracefully,  to  the  lively 
strains  of  the  musicians. 

A  little  further  up  the  river  you  would  find  a  Curling 
Rink,  belonging  to  some  one  of  the  many  curling  clubs 
of  the  city;  for  it  is  a  very  popular  winter  sport,  espe- 
cially with  the  Scotch  citizens.    This  is  laid  out  in  a 
similar  manner  to  the  skating  rink,  minus  the  flags  and 
entrance  fee.   Everyone  is  allowed  to  stand  around  the 
edge  of  the  rink  and  look  on,  free  of  charge.   Here  you 
will  find,  on  a  fine  day,  all  the  leading  Scotchmen  of  the 
city,  with  a  sprinkling  of  English  and  Irish;  the  French- 
Canadian  somehow  does  not  care  for  curling.  The 
players  all  wear  Tam  o'  Shanter  caps  and  heavy  woolen 
sweaters,  each  one  armed  with  a  broom  and  are  usually 
in  a  great  state  of  excitement,  souping  her  up— to  their 
hearts*  content. 

This  rink  is  always  surrounded  by  crowds  of  on- 
lookers, as  there  are  no  walls.  Farthe.  along  the 
river's  bank  is  a  fine  circular  race-track  for  snow- 
shoers,— a  half-mile  track,— always  in  use  for  practicing, 
although  races  take  place  on  this  river  track  frequently. 
It  was  always  a  fine  level  track  and  well  patronized 
by  both  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  sometimes  a  scratch 
match  was  gotten  up,  and  you  would  see  as  fine  a  bit  of 
snow-shoe  racing  as  anyone  could  widi.  Races  for 
ladies  were  frequently  run  on  tiiis  track,  and  many  of 
them  were  fine  runners.  They  were  a  fine,  healdiy, 
robust,  rosy-cheeked,  wholesome-looking  lot  of  giris, 
dressed  in  the  usual  snow-shoer's  conventional  costume. 


SPORTS  ON  THE  ICE  ^ 

which  consisted  of  white  blanket  coats  and  bloomers, 
with  toques,  sashes,  and  stockings  of  various  colors. 
Every  girl  was  an  ardent  devotee  to  snow-shoeing  and 
enthusiastically  doing  her  level  best  to  succeed  at  this 
magnificent  Indian  sport.  Good-natured  repartee, 
laughter,  fun,  and  innocent  frolic  was  in  evidence  all 
the  time  at  this  particuhir  race-course,  making  it  the 
most  popular  place  for  sleigh-driving  parries  to  resort 
to  when  m  search  of  entertainment  and  amusement. 

Ihe  ice  bndge  has  no  sooner  formed  on  the  river 
than  a  race-track  for  trotting  horses  is  laid  out;  this 
IS  usuaUy  a  two-nfle  straight-away  course,  and  always 
has  the  patronage  of  aU  lovers  of  horses.  French- 
Canadians  are  all  ardent  sportsmen,  and  it  would  be 
hard  to  find  any  one  who  loves  a  horse  more  than  he 
does,  and  no  one  of  any  nationality  is  kinder  to  his 
beast.  But  he  does  not  look  upon  his  horse  as  a  beast, 
for  the  Habitant's  horse,  like  the  Irishman's  pig,  is 
part  and  parcel  of  the  family  and  beloved  by  all. 

The  great  ambition  of  every  French-Canadian  is 
to  own  a  trotting  horse,  and  to  accomplish  his  desire 
will  deprive  himself  of  many  of  die  luxuries  and 
sometimes  some  of  the  necesriries  of  life  to  attain  diis 
end,  and  when  he  has  accomplished  it,  you  will  see  him, 
especially  m  winter,  with  his  horse,  always  well  groomed, 
and  a  light  but  strong  cutter;  with  his  cap  well  pulled 
down  over  his  ears,  and  a  warm  fur  coat  of  buffalo  or 
coonskm  with  the  collar  turned  up  and  a  bear-skin 
robe  over  his  legs,  well  tucked  in  at  the  sides,  and  last, 
but  not  least,  the  inevitable  pipe  in  his  mouth,  filled 
with  home-grown  tobacco  so  strong  that  it  would 
peel  the  skin  from  off  the  tongue  of  any  other  man  but 


80  THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

a  French-Canadian  who  tried  to  smoke  it.   This  is  the 
picture  of  the  ordinary  French-Canadian  when  he  has 
succeeded  in  owning  a  horse;  a  picture  of  happy  con- 
tentiiieiit»  holding  the  reins  in  hit  hands,  allowing  the 
horse  to  jog  along  with  the  little  mincing,  dancing  gait 
peculiar  to  the  racehorse  going  to  a  meet,  the  French- 
man apparently  holding  a  very  tight  grip  on  the  reins 
as  though  he  could  hardly  hold  him  back  from  flying 
over  the  road;  at  the  same  time,  the  horse  had  no 
particular  desire  to  fly,  but  if  left  to  himself  would  be 
more  than  pleased  to  jog  along  at  a  quiet  gait.  But 
the  French-Canadian  is  very  fond  of  attracting  the 
attention  of  everyone  to  his  horse,  and  if  he  notices 
the  slightest  sign  of  drawing  a  look  of  admiration  to 
his  outfit  from  any  of  the  passers-by,  he  becomes  greatly 
elated  and  proud  as  a  barnyard  rooster.  The  only 
time  he  ceases  to  smoke  (for  they  are  all  incessant 
smokers)  is  when  he  has  his  horse  lined  up  with  a 
score  of  others  at  the  starting  point  for  the  big  race  on 
the  river.  Then  he  is  all  excitement;  he  examines  his 
horse's  legs,  hoofs,  and  shoes,  the  long  calks  of  which 
have  been  sharpened  to  a  point  to  prevent  slipping, 
and  to  get  a  firm  grip  on  the  ice  or  snow.  Finding 
everything  in  good  shape,  he  takes  his  place  in  his  cut- 
ter, tucking  the  robe  well  in  around  his  legs,  and  with 
legs  extended,  his  feet  pressed  tightly  cpainst  the  foot 
plates,  braces  himself  firmly  against  the  back  of  the 
cutter,  with  a  firm  grip  on  the  reins,  and  at  the  word 
"go!"  or  at  the  crack  of  the  pistol,  they  are  off!  every 
one  of  them  shouting,  yelling,  urging  their  horses  on 
by  cracking  their  whips,  aided  by  the  vociferous  cheer- 
ing of  the  crowds  who  line  the  track  from  end  to  end, 


SraSTB  as  TBB  ICE  n 

'   tZ'"^u  *.*  "  *  "hirlwind  of  blinding 

«ow  cast  up  by  the  h<»f.  rf,h.ha«..   The  «pj  "n 
2  «hc  faces  o  the  driver,  wid,  d,dr  v« 
with  funous  ghstenmg  int«,sity  of  derive,  mikes  ™ 
a  picture  of  oveq»wer,ng  human  excitement  impos«Me 
»  be  dupl.ca.ed  outside  of  a  Fr«,ch^,„adii,  rac^ 

Language  can  hardly  dcKribe  the  one  who  succeeds 
m  wmnmg  .he  race  and  express  the  fedings  rf  p^ 
which  almost  consume  him  and  completed  rendm 
hun  speechless  with  an  overpowering  sense  of  wt  o™ 

NeC"^,  ^  Nap!''""'  wLung^™ 

Nelson,  and  all  other  victorious  commanders  in  his^ 
tory  smk  ,„to  utter  insignificance,  in  hi.  mind  c«^ 

covet,  hi.  horse  from  head  to  tail  with  one,  two  and 
«.me.,mes  three  blankets,  puts  his  arms  arotnd  Ws 

and  dilT"'  ^  »      exuberance  of  joy 

and  dehght,  and  then  sttnds  back  with  hi.  arm,  folded 

hb  Sr"^  7  ""t"  ""8«tula.ions 
fnen,k  and  listen  to  the  acclamations  of  the 
wwd,  for  th»  „  the  happiest  day  of  his  Ufe.  But 
when  he  renims  to  hi,  home  and  tdU  his  wife  i,d 
children  of  his  wonderful  victory,  they  rimply  ^ 
and  look  at  him  m  speechless  awe  and  treat  himfor 
«m.  ome  to  come  with  a  degree  of  respect  alidTv^! 
««  which  diey  usually  accord  only  to  the  priest  i 

.  At  the  time  of  which  I  write,  long  before  the  ereat 
.mprovements  had  been  made  on  ZMontreThaA^J 
front,  some  mile,  bebw  the  dgr  we,.  «v^ 


at         THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

islands,  and  on  account  of  the  strong  current,  the  water 
rushes  with  great  velocity  through  the  spaces  between 
dieie  itlaiida,  and  in  winter  causes  serious  ice  jams, 
bkcking  up  the  channel  When  this  occurs,  the  water 
backs  up  and  causes  the  whole  body  of  ice,  covering  the 
river  facing  Montreal,  to  rise,  lifting  this  plain  of  ice 
several  feet  higher  than  usual,  overflowing  the  wharves 
and  piers  to  a  depth  of  several  feet.  If  freezing  hard  at 
die  time,  and  no  snow  falls  during  the  night,  the  water 
covering  the  wharves  and  pien  would  freeze  over, 
making  ice  as  clear  as  a  mirror,  and  extending  for  miles. 
Thousands  of  skaters  of  both  sexes,  and  all  ages,  would 
then  flock  to  the  river  to  enjoy  skating  on  this  long 
stretch  of  ice. 

On  one  such  occarimi,  my  sister  Sophie  and  I, 
with  crowds  of  boys,  girls,  men  and  women,  were  skat- 
ing over  one  of  the  long  piers  which  had  been  sub- 
merged by  the  rise  in  the  river  the  day  before.  The 
ice  was  like  glass  and  Sophie  and  I  were  enjoying  our- 
selves to  our  hearts'  content,  skating  hand  in  hand  and 
performing  all  kinds  of  evolutions  on  the  ice. 

The  ice  was  so  fine  that  hundreds  of  skaters  had 
congregated  and  were  skating  over  this  particular  pier, 
when  all  at  once  the  ice  began  to  bend,  and  without 
the  slightest  warning,  sank  beneath  our  feet.  It  did 
not  break,  but  simply  sank  like  a  great  sheet  of  rubber, 
sinking  lower  and  lower,  the  water  rising  as  it  sank. 
The  sensation  was  simply  indescribable,  the  crowds 
were  paralyzed  with  fright  and  for  a  moment  speech- 
less, and  then  arose  the  most  horrible  shrieks  and 
■creams  from  the  diroats  of  the  panic-stricken  women 
and  children,  coupUd  with  the  hoarser  shouts  of  the 


SPORTS  ON  THE  ICS  u 

mm,  a<  if  pandemonium  were  let  loose.  I  grasped 
Sophie  by  the  arms  and  made  her  cUmb  onto  my  back. 
The  ice  was  still  sinking,  but  it  stopped  suddenly  when 
the  water  had  reached  up  to  my  waist,  and  I  found  that 
we  had  settled  quietly  down  on  the  pier  about  three 
feet  below  the  surface,  and  reaUzed  at  once  that  we 
could  sink  no  further,  for  I  knew  the  locality  very  well. 
My  hmbs  were  so  cold  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
move  them,  but  by  superhuman  exertion,  brought  on 
by  excitement,  I  managed  to  slowly  move  through  the 
^ter,  carrying  Sophie  on  my  back  until  we  reached 
the  wharf  which  had  not  been  submerged,  a  few  hun- 
dred  feet  away. 

Thousands  of  people  had  rushed  to  the  water- 
front from  all  parts  of  the  city  as  soon  as  the  news 
spread  abroad  that  the  ice  had  broken  through  over 
one  of  die  piers.   The  crowd  was  so  great  they  inter- 
fered with  those  who  were  systematically  helping  to 
save  the  struggling  people  in  the  wat«  to  reach  diy 
land,  but  every  assistance  was  given  us.  and  we  were 
safely  pulled  out  of  the  water;  but  the  moment  we  were 
Mted  ou^  and  came  in  contact  with  the  dry  frosty  air. 
our  dothmg  was  frozen  stiff  and  solid,  and  it  was  im- 
possible  for  us  to  bend  our  legs.   We  were  as  helpless 
as  marble  statues.    Standinp  perfectly  erect,  and  stiU 
with  our  skates  on,  some  of  the  boys  with  ready  wit 
won  solved  the  problem  by  taking  oflF  their  sashes, 
taottmg  diem  together  and  forming  a  couple  of  long 
ropes.   They  fastened  one  around  Sophie's  waist  and 
another  around  mine,  and  with  a  boy  on  each  side  to 

taking  hold  of  the  ropes,  towed  us  over  the  ice  at  a 


64  THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

great  pace,  the  ice  reachinc  to  within  a  few  hundred 
yards  of  our  home.  When  we  reached  the  end  of  the 
ice  field,  they  tumbled  us  on  to  a  toboggan  and  landed 
M  at  the  houM.  It  was  the  fastest  tow  either  Sophie 
or  I  had  ever  had,  over  snow  and  ice.  The  boys  carried 
us  into  the  big  kitchen,  and  supported  ui  on  each  tide, 
standing  in  front  of  the  open  fireplace  until  tile  ice 
melted  and  mother  and  Laura  were  able  to  remove  our 
clothes.  Then  they  rubbed  us  thoroughly,  bringing 
the  warmth  back  into  our  bodies  by  restoring  circula- 
tion; but  strange  to  say,  neither  of  us  were  frozen  and 
we  were  all  right  in  the  morning. 

The  newspapers  that  evening,  and  the  next  morning, 
had  their  columns  well  supplied  with  exciting  news, 
describing  the  disaster  and  the  marvelous  escape  of  so 
many  hun&edt  of  people  from  drowning,  but  not  a 
single  case  of  the  death  of  any  of  the  skaters  was  men- 
tioned, for  all  were  accounted  for.  But  a  great  deal 
of  sickness  followed  among  the  hundreds  who  were  so 
suddenly  precipitated  into  the  icy  cold  water,  and  it  is 
possible  that  many  of  them  never  recovered  from  the 
shock  and  fright  they  received  on  the  fatal  day  of  the 
disaster.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  excursions 
which  Sophie  and  I  were  in  the  habit  of  taking  together, 
were  subsequently  confined  to  safer  localities  than 
piers  in  the  St.  Lawrence  river  covered  witii  new-formed 
vet. 


CHAPTER  VII 


MONTREAL  IN  WINTER 

Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  has  earned  a  reputation 
the  world  over,  for  its  marvelous  display  of  fashionably 
dressed  people,  who  on  certain  occasions  promenade 
on  both  sides  of  the  street  on  the  sidewalks  of  this  noted 
thoroughfare,  notably  on  Easter  Sunday  when  the 
weather  is  fine,  and  in  fact  eveiy  Saturday  afternoon, 
taking  part  in  what  has  now  become  one  of  the  fixed 
customs,  or  established  institutions  of  the  city,  and 
called  by  the  masses,  "Dress  Parade."  It  has  well 
earned  its  reputation,  for  neither  the  Champs  Elysee, 
of  Paris,  nor  Regent  Street,  London,  can  produce  a 
more  wonderful  kaleidoscopic,  panoramic  display  of 
magnificently  gowned  women  and  well-dressed  men, 
than  can  be  seen  at  one  of  these  dress  parades  in  New 
York  City,  when  the  air  is  balmy  and  the  atmosphere 
clear. 

Dress  parade  in  Montreal  u  of  a  different  character, 
but  to  my  mind  much  more  impressive  and  imposing. 
To  see  it  to  advantage,  you  require  to  be  there  on  a 
Saturday  afternoon  in  winter,  when  the  atmosphere  is 
bright,  clear,  and  bracing,  with  an  azure  blue,  cloud- 
less sky  overhead,  the  sun  shining  brightly  and  a  good 
bed  of  snow,  well  beaten  down  oo  the  streets  and  roads 
of  the  city. 

56 


56 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


Yean  ago^  before  the  advent  of  the  street  can  in 
Montreal,  it  was  the  custom  after  the  fint  heavy  fall  of 
snow  had  formed  a  good  solid  bed  for  the  roads,  for 
the  mayor  of  the  city  to  issue  his  usual  proclamation, 
"No  More  Wheels,"  and  this  proclamation  would  be 
posted  up  on  all  the  streets  and  roads  in  and  about  the 
city,  ^ich  prohibited  the  use  <rf  carriages,  carts,  or 
wagons  during  the  winter,  to  protect  the  roads  from 
being  cut  up.  Nothing  was  allowed  to  be  used  on  the 
street  as  a  vehicle  of  conveyance  but  sleighs;  as  a 
consequence,  the  roads  were  as  flat  and  smooth  as  the 
proverbial  pancake,  and  the  sleighing  superb. 

In  these  days,  Montreal  was  dw  largest  mtlitaiy 
depot  in  Canada,  with  one  exception,  and  that  was  the 
fortified  City  of  Quebec.  Regiments  of  all  branches 
of  the  British  Service  were  stationed  here,  and  the 
officers,  a  fine  lot  of  fellows,  were  always  re^dy  to  enter 
heartily  into  all  kinds  <^  outdbor  sports.  Bat  ^  om 
diat  appealed  to  them  most  was  sleigh  driving — 
dally  with  a  tandem  team  of  horses,  harnessed  to  a 
handsome  sleigh,  or  cutter,  with  a  very  high  front  seat 
f<xc  the  driver,  where  he  could  look  over  the  heads  of 
his  team  and  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  At  leader. 
Perched  up  on  tiieir  high  seats,  holding  the  ima  mm 
and  the  long  tandem  whip  in  their  iMn^  diey  wm 
adepts  at  skillfully  navigating  and  maneuvering 
mettlesome  steeds  through  the  scores  of  carryalls, 
cutten,  bob-sleighs,  and  everything  that  could  be 
propelled  on  runnen,  mi  somerimes  »c  a  very  high 
speed,  but  invariably  without  an  accident,  for  they 
were  mighty  fine  horsemen.  Every  day  they  were  in 
evidence  and  it  made  but  little  difference  to  them 


MONTREAL  IN  WINTEB  57 

whether  the  day  was  fine  or  not,  driving  their  fancy 
tunw)uts  and  enjoying  themselves  to  the  full. 

But  Saturday  afternoon  was  the  time  set  apart 
(weather  permitting)  for  the  "Montreal  Dress  Parade  " 
Then  you  would  witness  a  procession  of  the  handsomest 
capansoned  hones  (thoroughbreds),  harnessed  to  the 
most  beauuful  sleighs  of  eveiy  description,  from  the 
comfortable  carryall,  to  the  large  and  luxurious  turn- 
out with  coachman  and  footman,  dressed  in  capacious 
fur  coats,  capes  and  caps  to  match,  perched  up  on  high 
front  seats,  handling  the  reins  widi  most  dexterous 
skil^  when  the  owner  did  not  do  the  driving  himself. 

Ihe  sleighs  were  furnished  with  the  most  costly 
and  exquisite  fur  robes,  Hned  with  miUtaiy  broadcloth 
m  varied  colors  and  trimmed  with  the  same.    White  and 
black  bear-skms  were  usually  the  favorite  furs  used  for 
nbn.   k  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  beauty, 
varied  styles  and  q>kndor  of  the  sleighs,  for  no  city  in 
the  world,  not  even  St.  Petersburg,  Russia,  can  com- 
pare, or  compete,  with  Montreal  in  the  luxurious  com- 
fort and  costly  magnificence  of  her  winter  equipages, 
lie  trappings  of  the  horses  alone  always  drew  out  the 
•dmiraaon  sad  encomiums  of  the  crowds  who  con- 
gregated along  the  sides  of  the  leading  thoroughfares 
to  see  the  lordly  pageant  pass.   Gold  and  silvetw 
mounted  harness,  manufactured  out  of  all  kinds  of 
the  roost  costly  leather,  principally  black  patent,  white 
•wmrt,  ornatural  ^n  color,  were  the  favorite  leathers 

round  the  necks  of  the  horses,  and  extending  down  over 
their  breasts  and  fastened  to  one  of  the  bellybands: 
arches  of  tinghng  silveiy-toned  bells  erected  on  the  top 


6B 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


of  the  saddle,  with  high  plumes  of  long  horsehair  dyed 
into  bright,  fancy  colors,  surmounting  the  arch; 
smaller  arches  with  bells  and  plumes  on  the  tops  of 
their  heads,  also  long  plumes  fastened  to  the  rosettes 
on  the  sides  of  the  bridle,  and  the  dnkluig  and  jingling 
of  thousands  of  bells  making  sweet  mtmc  from  one  end 
of  the  procession  to  the  other. 

The  horses  taking  part  in  this  parade  were  of  fine- 
bred  stocky  the  owners,  principally  o^  the  wealthier 
classes,  took  the  greatest  pride  in  diem,  and  vied  with 
each  other  as  to  who  could  turn  out  the  finest  exhibit 
and  receive  the  greatest  plaudits  from  the  crowds,  who 
were  not  at  all  bashful  in  shouting  out  their  prefer- 
ences in  clear,  audible,  distinct  tones,  so  that  none 
could  mistake  thdr  preferences.  From  the  high- 
stepping  military  charger,  to  the  chunky  well-bred 
French-Canadian  pony,  were  in  evidence,  and  all 
doing  their  level  best  to  win  out.  But  the  great 
majority  were  high-mettled,  thoroughbred  carriage 
horses,  with  heads  erect,  beaudfuUy  arched  necks,  their 
small,  shapely  ears  pointing  straight  forward  taking  in 
every  sound,  high-steppers,  bushy  manes  and  tails, 
when  not  cropped,  sleek,  well-groomed  hides  shining 
in  the  sun  and  showing  every  vein  pulsating  with  ex- 
citement, and  thin  shapely,  high-stepping  legs  with 
•mall  hoofs  on  which  they  pranced  up  and  down  with 
the  pride  of  the  "equine  aristocrat,"  champing  their 
bits  and  scattering  the  foam  from  their  mouths,  bob- 
bing their  heads  up  and  down  to  make  the  bells  jingle, 
and  the  plumes  wave,  as  they  pranced  along  the 
streets,  but  kept  well  in  hand  by  the  pressure  brought 
to  bear  on  their  bits  by  their  watchful  and  skillful 


MONTREAL  IN  WINTBB  59 

drivers,  they  made  a  marvelous  and  stunning  exhibit. 
Both  drivers  and  horses  alike  were  proud  of  the  part 
they  occupied  in  the  display,  and  at  the  admiration 
expressed  by  the  crowds.    But  the  eyes  of  all  were 
centered  upon  the  occupants  of  the  sleighs,  consisting 
of  the  youth  and  beauty  of  the  city,  and  beyond  my 
humble  powers  of  description.  The  languid,  fragile, 
delicate,  drawing-room  beauty  was  conspicuous  by 
her  absence;  but  instead,  the  charming  young  women 
of  Montreal,  bubbling  over  with  good  nature,  with 
rosy  cheeks,  sparkling  eyes,  and  muffled  up  in  their  fur 
coats,  caps  and  gaundets,  sitting  in  their  slei^s  well 
tucked  in  with  heavy  lined  bear-skin  robes,  were  in 
evidence  all  along  the  line,  drinking  in  the  pure  ozone 
of  this  crisp,  sliarp  northern  atmosphere,  as  they  did 
every  day  of  dieir  lives,  for  all  tiieir  leisure  hours  were 
spent  in  invigorating  exercise  and  outdoor  sports,  the 
results  of  which  were  seen  in  their  bright,  cheerful, 
happy  faces,  strong,  well-developed  figures,  and  the 
very  pictures  of  health,  happiness  ana  contentment. 

The  young  men  could  be  described  in  the  same  way, 
if  not  in  the  exact  language,  but  dieir  characteristics 
were  the  same.  Determination  and  character  writen 
on  every  face,  strong,  well-knit  frames,  well-mu  cled 
arms  and  limbs,  clear,  sparkling  eyes,  well-developed 
chests,  and  fresh,  healthy  complexions,  inherited  by 
both  die  young  men  and  women,  from  good,  hardy 
ancestral  stock,  which  made  diem  wholesome  in  appear- 
ance and  good  to  look  at. 

The  older  men  and  women  were  a  strong  and 
sturdy-looking  lot,  their  years  sitting  lightly  on  their 
shoulders,  and  they  exhibited  just  as  keen  an  appetite 


00 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


for  all  outdoor  pastimes  and  sports  as  the  younger  folks 
did.  And  this  is  the  das^of  men  and  women,  with  their 
magnificent  hones  and  sleighs,  which  made  possible 
the  *' Dress  Parade"  which  was  to  be  seen  every  Sat- 
urday afternoon  in  Montreal,— weather  permitting  and 
the  sleighing  good. 

They  usually  assembled  on  the  "Champs  de  Mars," 
a  very  large  military  parade  ground  at  the  rear  of  the 
courthouse,  and  at  the  sound  of  the  bugle  the  hand- 
somest equipage  drawn  by  a  well-matched,  double 
team  of  four  horses,  driven  by  some  well-known  whip, 
perched  up  on  a  high  front  driver's  seat,  similar  in 
design  to  the  driver's  seat  of  a  four-in-hand  coach,  was 
selected  to  lead  the  cortege.  The  sleigh,  or  equipage, 
drawn  by  these  four  mettlesome  equine  thorough- 
breds, was  large  and  capacious,  sometimes  carrying  as 
many  as  sixteen  to  twenty  ladies  and  gentlemen.  The 
moment  the  bugle  sounded  the  start,  the  driver  would 
swing  the  lash  of  his  long  tandem  whip,  making  it 
cut  circles  through  the  air  and  crack  like  the  sound  of  a 
pistol;  the  horses  were  off  in  a  moment,  rearing  and 
dancing  up  and  down,  held  in  and  guided  by  the  driver 
as  they  made  their  way  toward  the  exit  to  the  street, 
making  the  bells  jingle  and  the  plumes  wave,  acting  as 
thou^  they  were  conscious  of  the  honor  of  being 
selected  to  lead  the  procession,  one  team  after  another 
followed  and  passed  through  the  gate  to  the  street, 
and  there  were  so  many  of  them,  one  would  think  that 
the  end  would  never  be  reached.  When  the  long 
parade  of  beautiful  sleighs,  with  their  charming  occu- 
pants, drawn  by  such  a  vast  number  of  thorough- 
bred horses  had  gotten  fairly  under  way,  and  k)oking 


MONTREAL  IN  WINTER  q 

It  became  a  perfect  dream  of  animated  splendor  and 
color,  as  ,t  moved  through  the  streets  receiving  the 

sidewalks  and  filled  the  wmdows  of  all  the  buildings 
along  the  hne  of  march.   But  there  was  one  exhibit, 
not  down  on  the  programme,  that  must  not  be  omitted. 
On  one  occasion,  the  officers  of  the  different  clubs,  who 
superintended  the  Dress  Parade,  decided  to  have  a 
Saturday  afternoon  display  that  would  far  outdo  and 
surpass  m  splendor  anything  that  had  ever  been  accom- 
phshed  up  to  that  date.  And  I  with  a  number  of  boy 
and  girl  friends  met  one  evening,  about  twenty  or 
twen  y-five  ot  us  ,n  all,  and  decided  that  we  would  like 
to  take  part  m  the  wonderful  display  contemplated  by 
the  management    I  received  permission  from  father 

sleigh,  the  body,  or  box,  of  which  was  very  long  and 

ITf  •  '^^;^^"^^?°n>  trimmed  with  gold  stripes, 
and  furnished  with  a  fine  pair  of  bobs  underneath;  of 

t^J^ll  '  "^^.^V^  'P'^"^'^  P^'^  °f  "bottled 
iron^yhonies,  dcscnbed  in  a  previous  chapter,  and 
dnven  by  that  incomparable  whip,  "Yon  Bateece," 
K  made  an  ideal  turnout  for  boys  and  girk  to  celebraJe 

We  started  in  by  borrowing  every  sleigh  beU 
horse  plume,  and  colored  ribbon  that  we  could  induce 
any  of  our  friends  to  loan  us,  and  we  trimmed  the  har- 
ness of  the  horses  from  the  bridle,  to  the  cruppers  with 
bows  of  varied-colored  ribbons,  rosettes,  aJplumeT 
so  that  the  harness  could  hardly  be  seen  for  the  mass 
of  color  under  which  it  was  hidden;  in  fact,  the  h^^ 


M  THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

were  loaded  down  with  bells,  waving  plumes,  and 
wherever  there  was  room  for  a  rosette  or  bow  of  rib- 
bon the  girls  saw  that  it  was  not  neglected,  for  both 
the  boys  and  girls  were  enthusiastic  over  the  j<rf>. 
Even  the  reins  had  colored  ribbons  decorating  them,  at 
equal  distances  apart,  from  the  bits  of  the  horses  to 
Yon  Bateece's  hands  where  he  held  them. 

The  next  thing  we  did  was  to  rig  up  Yon  Bateece 
like  a  father  Santa  Gaus,  and  all  die  boys  and  girls 
dressed  in  fancy  masquerade  suits.  The  girls'  cos- 
tumes were  very  fancy,  only  they  made  them  look 
a  little  bit  plumper  than  usual,  for  they  had  to  put 
their  fancy  costumes  on  outside,  or  over  their  regular 
winter  garments,  for  the  weather  was  quite  cold.  But 
a  little  thing  like  that  did  not  phase  diem;  we  were  all 
going  out  for  a  good  rollicking  time  (and  we  were  going 
to  have  it),  and  to  make  the  outfit  a  little  bit  more 
impressive  and  relieve  the  minds  of  the  crowds  by  a 
change  of  scene,  every  last  one  of  the  girls  and  boys  had 
provided  themselves  with  long  dn  horns  painted  in  all 
the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  and  as  every  one  of  them  was 
blessed  with  a  good  strong  pair  of  lungs,  the  noise  we 
contemplated  making  would  at  least  reach  the  ears 
of  the  onlookers  and  attract  a  little  bit  of  attendon  to 
ourselves. 

Of  course  an  outfit  like  ours  was  not  allowed  to  go 
through  the  gates  and  onto  the  parade  ground,  so  we 
had  coached  Yon  Bateece  to  get  a  position  as  near  the 
exit  gate  as  possible,  and  at  the  very  first  interval  he 
discovered  when  the  parade  was  passing  out  on  to  the 
the  street,  to  drive  our  outfit  right  in  and  fill  up  the 
gap.   When  the  day  of  the  parade  arrived,  the  pro- 


MOI^TTREAL  IN  WINTER  9$ 

gramme  was  carried  out  to  the  letter,  and  we  itruck  a 
position  right  in  the  middle  of  the  piocetsion.  We 
fully  expected  that  after  a  while,  the  master  of  cere^ 
monies  would  be  informed  of  our  presence  in  the  parade 
and  mitnict  the  police  to  have  us  removed  and  then  we 
would  be  relegated  to  the  rear.   We  were  certainly 
havmg  the  bme  of  our  Uves  and  getting  more  applause 
than  any  exhibit  in  the  parade,  when,  sure  enough,  the 
master  of  ceremonies  came  charging  down  on  us 
astride  of  his  beautiful  horse,  but  when  he  saw  us  and 
our  wonderful  outfit,  and  the  fun  we  were  having  our- 
selves,  and  the  entertainment  we  were  furnishing  the 
crowds  who  seemed  to  be  enjoying  themselves  by  their 
hilarious  laughter  and  cheers  which  accosted  him  at 
every  turn  marking  their  approval  and  appreciation 
of  some  sally  of  wit,  or  some  grotesque  performance  by 
one  of  the  ^rls  or  boys  of  our  party,  he  burst  out 
laughing,  and,  at  the  intercession  of  the  occupants  of 
the  sleighs  who  were  members  of  the  parade,  he  allowed 
us  to  remain  where  we  were.    The  boys  and  girls  in 
our  party  were  all  good  singers,  and  accustomed  to 
smg  in  chorus  on  our  long  snow-shoe  tramps  and  to 
vaiy  the  performance,  at  stated  intervals  we  would  dis- 
card the  horns  for  a  while  and  entertain  the  crowds 
and  ourselves  at  the  same  time,  by  singing  in  chorus 
one  of  the  popular  songs  of  the  day.   This  would 
always  meet  with  the  most  enthusiastic  approval  and 
we  would  receive  thunders  of  applause-not  only  from 

^l^ose  taking  part  in  the  parade. 
Ihe  kindly  acknowledgments  of  our  efforts  to  please 
«>  fiUed  us  aU  with  such  happy  pride,  that  we  re- 
doubled our  efforts  and  allowed  no  interval  to  lapse 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADL\.\ 


between  the  fun  and  the  songs  which  we  saw  were 
giving  such  pleasure  to  our  large  and  enthusiastic  audi- 
ence.  So  we  kept  it  up  without  intermission,  from  the 
•tart  to  the  finish  of  that  "never-to-be-forgotten" 
Dress  Parade,  which  waf  booked  to  disband  at  the 
Tally-ho  club  house,  just  outside  the  city  limits.  As 
Yon  Bateece  was  in  the  act  of  turning  his  horses'  heads 
homeward,  we  were  greatly  surprised  by  a  number  of 
goitiemen  and  ladies,  members  of  the  club,  surrounding 
our  sld^  and  thanking  us  for  the  very  unique  and  novel 
entertainment  we  had  furnished  them  with,  and  gave  us 
a  very  cordial  invitation,  including  Yon  Bateece,  to 
come  right  into  the  clubhouse  and  get  warmed  up  and 
have  supper  with  them.  As  it  was  now  six  o'clock,  and 
having  been  out  in  that  beautiful,  bracing  atmosphere 
all  the  afternoon,  shoutii^  blowing  horns,  yelling,  and 
singing  at  the  tops  of  our  voices,  without  intermission 
for  nearly  six  hours,  it  goes  without  saying  that  we  were 
quite  ready  to  accept  their  kind  hospiulity,  for  we  were 
all  as  hungry  as  a  lot  of  young  bears.  They  had  pre- 
pared a  long  table  for  us  at  one  end  of  the  big  dining- 
room,  and  it  was  loaded  down  with  the  finest  viands 
that  the  Montreal  markets  could  furnish,  and  the 
French  cooks  in  charge  of  the  kitchen  had  surpassed 
themselves  in  their  efforts  to  make  every  dish  as 
attractive  and  palatable  as  their  great  skill  could  accom- 
plish, and  your  imagination  can  picture  what  twenty 
or  twenty-five  strong,  healthy,  ravenously  hungry  girls 
and  boys  from  fourteen  to  sixteen  years  of  age,  who  had 
not  had  a  bite  to  eat  since  noon,  could  do  to  a  layout 
ot  that  kind,  and  you  can  further  imagine  that  after  we 
had  partaken  of  that  sumptuous  repast,  there  were  no 


^'QNTBEAL  IN  WINTER  es 

•WdFe  baskett  full  of  fragments"  to  be  taken  up. 
Wh«i  wt  thought  that  justice  had  been  done  to  that 
ecquinte  tupper,  and  to  oar  digeMi've  faculties,  at  the 
niggetoon  of  our  hosts  we  entertained  them  with  a 
tew  longs  and  rousmg  choruses,  and  after  thanking 
them  for  their  kind  hospitality,  were  about  to  leave: 
but  thqr  would  not  part  with  us  until  we  promised  to 
repeat  the  performance  at  some  future  Dress  Parade, 
and  assured  us  that  our  outfit  would  be  admitted  to 
the  parade  grounds  and  assigned  to  a  prominent  loca- 
tion m  the  procession.   When  we  had  tumbled  into 
our  sleigh  and  had  started  for  home,  it  was  the  unani- 
mous opmion  of  both  girls  and  boys  that  we  had  not 
only  done  ourselves  proud,"  but  that  we  had  had  the 
time  of  our  lives,  and  were  the  happiest  bunch  of  young 
people  in  the  city,  for  the  whole  ".how"  had  been  a 
rousing  success. 

Two  very  beautiful  mountains,  adjoining  each  other, 
torm  an  imposmg  and  picturesque  background  for  the 
Uty  of  Montreal;  the  city  proper,  stretching  from  the 
foothills  in  a  gradual  descent  or  slope  until  it  reaches 
Uie  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  before  the  face  of 
the  mountain  had  been  encroached  upon  and  utilized 
as  choi^  buildmg  sites  for  the  many  sumptuous  homes 
surrounded  by  their  lovely  gardens  and  hedges;  and 
the  stately  mansions  overlooking  their  park  Umds  of 
many  acres,  owned  by  the  wealthy  magnates  of  the 
aty.   These  hills  extending  all  along  the  face  of  the 
mountam  when  covered  with  snow  in  winter  were  the 
rendezvous  for  all  the  young  people  of  the  city,  dressed 
m  blanket  suits,  sashes,  woolen  toques  and  moccasins, 
and  on  every  fine,  clear  winter  day,  could  be  seen  b 


08  THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

droves  hauling  their  toboggans  up  the  beaten  path  to 
the  right  of  the  slides,  and  on  reaching  the  top  of  the 
hill,  would  pile  onto  the  toboggan,  four  to  six  persons 
on  each  sleigh.  The  one  in  front  would  have  his  or 
her  feet  in  the  hood  of  the  toboggan,  the  next  behind, 
with  feet  resting  on  the  lap  of  the  one  in  front  and 
holding  him  or  her  round  the  waist  to  prevent  falling 
off,  and  so  to  the  last  one,  who  did  the  steering,  and 
guided  the  toboggan  with  sharp-pointed  hickory  sticks 
one  in  each  hand,  and  by  digging  the  sticks  into  the 
snow  on  either  side,  could  steer  the  toboggan  in  a 
straight  course  down  the  hill  with  such  velocity  that 
it  would  carry  them  for  a  long  distance  after  reaching 
the  level  surface. 

Toboggan  after  toboggan,  at  short  intervals,  would 
start  from  the  top  of  the  hill  with  its  happy,  cheerful 
load  of  boys  and  girls,  young  men  and  women,  swishing 
down  the  slide  at  a  terrific  pace.  A  more  happy, 
joyous,  cheerful  lot  of  people  could  not  be  found  any- 
where than  on  one  of  these  toboggan  slides.  The 
officers  of  the  army  became  extremely  fond  of  this  sport, 
particularly  the  younger  set.  Almost  every  day  you 
could  see  them  driving  their  tandems,  with  toboggan 
dragging  behind,  on  their  way  from  the  barracks  to  one 
of  the  hills.  On  arriving  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  selected 
for  the  day's  sport,  they  would  leave  their  teams  in  care 
of  the  footman,  and  dragging  their  toboggans  after 
them,  would  soon  be  among  the  happy  crowds.  The 
younger  officers  were  a  dare-devil  lot,  but  a  nice  lot  of 
fellows  and  very  popular,  especially  with  the  ladies. 
Sliding  down  the  regular  channel,  or  slide,  was  a  little 
too  tame  for  them,  and  they  liked  to  take  chances,  or 


MONTREAL  IN  WINTER  07 

ntrl'I'V^l"'^^  tobogganer  did  not  see  the 

necessity  of  taking. 

At  the  top  of  the  hill  was  a  stretch  of  level  ground,  or 

thousands  of  feet  that  were  tramping  it  all  the  time, 
and  was  about  sixty  or  seventy  feet  in  extent  each  way 
^.s  was  the  starting-point  for  the  regular  slide;  this 
backed  up  m  the  rear  by  a  stone  wall  or  fence 

v^  T  °'/°"[.^"  j;?^^'  -«de  of  rough  stones  and 
vej  thick  and  sohd.  On  the  other  side  of  this  fence 
was  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  the  ascent  from  here 
was  very  steep  and  hard  to  climb,  so  these  officera 

S^e  mo«^;- '"Z'^^'iT  P^^'^"^  -"  on 

spnnkhng  ,t  with  water  and  letting  it  freeze  over  night 

to  make  the  surface  soft,  they  could  climb  up  the  face 

dll%r"J'T  ^""^^^^  come 

^J^J'tj'^'f  ^^^'Vol'ogg-ns,  and,  mounting 
the  aiow^anked  side  of  the  stone  fence  with  such 

atStH  '"?\'  *^ff«Sgan  leap  through  the 
a  r  from  the  top  of  the  waU  for  a  long  distance  before 
alighting  on  the  level  space  or  starting-point  of  Ae 

;hfoi"ef  ' 

Of  courae  aU  the  people  on  the  hill  stopped  sKding. 
and  gave  them  the  right  of  way,  and  they  successfully 
accomphshed  the  feat  several  times  and  then  to  make  k 
a  Uttle  more  interesting  made  small  bets  among  them- 

tl  '  7"'  r  <li«^nce  over 

the  platform.   I  and  several  of  my  companions  were 


68         THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


very  much  interested  in  this  sport,  and  were  a  little 
bit  inclined  to  try  it  ourselves.  I  had  what  they  called 
"the  ironclad  toboggan,"  having  had  the  bottom  sur- 
face sheeted  with  tin,  and  by  constant  use  it  had  become 
smooth  as  glass.  One  of  the  officers  standing  by  said 
to  me,  "Why  don't  you  try  the  jump?"  I  replied 
that  my  toboggan  had  been  sheeted  with  tm,  and  it 
went  so  fast  that  I  was  afraid  I  could  not  steer  it  safely; 
he  laughed  and  said,  "When  I  was  your  age  I  was  not 
afraid  of  anything,  but  you  seem  to  be  afraid  to  take  a 
chance."  This  started  all  my  fighting  '  lood  surging 
through  my  veins,  and  I  told  him  "I  was  not  afraid 
to  do  anything  he  would  do,  and  I'd  do  it  if  it  killed 
me."  And  with  that  I  climbed  up  the  side  of  the 
mountain  to  the  place  he  had  started  from.  I  got  my 
toboggan  into  position  and  seeing  that  the  hill  was 
clear,  as  all  the  tobogganers  had  lined  the  sides  of  the 
slide  to  see  me  make  the  trip,  and  just  as  I  was  getting 
on  board  a  young  fellow  from  Western  Canada,  named 
Bob  Williams,  whom  I  was  acquanited  with,  said, 
"Hold  on,  Jack!  I  am  going  with  you."  He  had  never 
ridden  on  a  toboggan,  and  I  was  a  little  bit  afraid  to 
let  him  take  this  trip  for  it  was  a  hazardous  under- 
taking, but  he  insist^,  and  got  on  to  die  fnmt  of  die 
toboggan,  and  put  his  feet  into  the  hood  as  he  had 
seen  the  others  do.  I  called  out  to  him  to  hold  on 
tight,  and  for  all  he  was  worth.  I  jumped  on  and 
shoved  her  off.  I  really  thought  we  were  being  fired 
through  the  air  from  the  mouth  of  some  gigantic  gun. 
We  went  at  such  a  terrific  gait  I  could  hardly  feel  the 
toboggan  touch  the  track,  but  when  we  jumped  the 
stone  wall  we  just  skimmed  through  the  air,  nego* 


MONTREAL  IN  WnmR  «9 

dating  pretty  nearly  the  whole  of  the  intervening  space 
betwc«,  the  top  of  the  waU  and  the  apex  of  the  hill, 
fully  fifty  feet,  before  we  fit  again  on  the  track,  and 
with  a  swish  of  blinding  snow  hurtled  into  our  faces 
we  were  off  down  the  hill  with  lightning  speed,  when  a 
boy  standing  on  the  side  of  the  track  threw  a  cedar 
bough  right  in  front  of  us,  which  twisted  the  toboggan 
around  to  the  right  and  sent  it  flying  down  a  steep 
bank  at  the  opposite  side  into  a  lot  of  trees,  and  we 
smashed  right  into  a  big  elm  tree.   The  force  of  the 
concussion  lifted  me  up  bodily  and  fired  me  up  among 
Its  branches.    I  had  just  enough  presence  of  mind  left 
to  seize  one  of  the  large  branches  and  hold  on.   I  felt 
sore  all  over,  but  was  so  anxious  about  Bob,  I  man- 
aged to  chmb  down  and  found  the  toboggan  smashed 
mto  splinters  and  the  tin  sheeting  rolled  up  into  a  big 
lump;  but  I  just  took  this  in  at  a  glance,  as  I  found 
poor  Bob  ahnost  buried  in  a  large  snow  bank  and  fully 
forty  feet  away  from  the  tree  where  he  had  been  hurled. 
Ihe  crowds  came  tearing  down  the  hiU  and  from  aU 
quarters  to  find  our  whether  we  were  killed  or  not, 
and  among  them  the  army  surgeon.    Bob  was  stunned 
and  unconscious,  but  the  doctor  soon  brought  him 
around,  and  on  examination  found  that  his  right  leg 
was  broken,  and  that  it  was  a  pretty  bad  break;  he 
ordered  him  to  be  taken  to  the  hospital  at  once.    I  was 
very  badly  scratched  by  taking  that  header  into  the 
tree,  and  as  stiff  as  an  old  man,  and  had  to  sit  down  in 
the  snow  for  a  while  to  get  my  bearings.    Bob  was  a 
plucky  chap.   Although  I  knew  he  was  suffering  a 
great  deal  of  pain,  he  said  he  did  not  think  it  would 
amount  to  much,  and  he  thought  he  would  be  all  right 


7D  THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

in  a  day  or  two.  The  doctor  and  others  rolled  him  up 
in  blankets  and  hauled  him  o(F  to  the  general  hospital 
on  one  of  the  toboggans,  where  he  was  laid  up  for  three 
months. 

The  officer  who  dared  me  to  take  the  trip  was  not 
a  bad  sort  of  a  fellow  after  all.  He  sat  down  beside 
me  m  the  snow  and  called  me  all  kinds  of  a  brick,  and 
said  I  was  the  makings  of  a  good  soldier  some  day,  and 
at  the  same  time  called  himself  a  cad  for  daring  me  to 
take  the  chance,  and  invited  me  to  get  into  his  hand- 
some sleigh,  driven  by  his  tandem,  and  he  would  drive 
me  home.  He  also  said  he  would  buy  me  a  fine  tobog- 
gan, which  he  did,  subsequently.  He  frequently  called 
on  Bob  at  the  hospital  during  his  three  months'  sojourn 
at  that  institution,  and  cheered  him  up  by  bringing  him 
little  delicacies  of  all  kinds;  in  fact,  he  was  a  real 
good  fellow,  and  a  typical  specimen  of  a  young  British 
officer. 

Boguet  was  a  typical  French-Canadian  country  Inn- 
keeper, and  was  the  proprietor  of  a  large,  straggling, 
clap-boarded  roadhouse  situated  on  the  back  river 
road,  about  four  to  five  miles  north  of  Montreal.  Wild 
ducks  and  pigeons  were  plentiful  in  these  days,  and 
he  and  his  boys  were  great  hunters.  In  the  fall  of  the 
year  they  used  to  drive  up  the  river  a  few  miles  where 
the  ducks  were  in  the  habit  of  feeding,  and  "bag"  hun- 
dreds of  them,  and,  I  have  been  told,  thousands,  during 
the  duck  season.  He  had  large  outhouses,  strung  with 
long  poles,  and  after  cleaning  the  birds  and  stripping 
them  of  their  feathers,  would  hang  them  up  by  the 
legs  and  freeze  them  down  for  the  winter.  They  were 
fit  for  use  at  any  time  when  needed,  by  simply  thawing 


MONTREAL  IN  WINTER  71 

them  out,  and  they  would  be  as  fresh  as  the  day  they 
were  frozen. 

Attached  to  the  Inn,  and  connected  by  a  door  from 
the  bar,  was  a  large  square  barn  with  a  polished  hard- 
wood floor,  decorated  with  a  profusion  of  cheap  pic- 
tures, evergreens  and  flags.  Around  the  sides  of  the 
bam  were  benches  fastened  to  the  walls  and  extending 
all  the  way  around,  so  that  it  had  a  very  attractive 
interior,  and  was  heated  with  four  good-sized  wood 
burning  stoves,  and,  to  keep  in  the  heat,  the  outside 
walls  were  banked  up  to  the  eaves  of  the  roof  with 
snow. 

One  of  the  great  pastimes,  or  sports,  was  snow-shoe 
tramping,  and  the  young  people  of  both  sexes  were 
adepts  at  the  game.    When  the  moon  was  full  we 
would  select  a  fine,  clear,  crisp  winter's  night,  and  make 
up  a  party  of  boys  and  girls  ageing  from  fourteen  years 
and  up,  and  sometimes  the  age  Kmit  would  not  stop  at 
fafty;  for  no  one  ever  thought  he  was  too  old  for  a  snow- 
shoe  tramp.    But  when  we  decid  d  to  go  to  Boguet's, 
the  older  people  would  draw  the  line  and  excuse  them- 
selves by  saying  "they  had  an  engagement  for  that 
evening,  but  the  next  time  they  would  be  most  happy, 
etc     They  did  not  like  to  acknowledge  that  a  tcn- 
mile  tramp  was  just  a  little  beyond  their  limit,  so  the 
tramps  to  Boguet's  were  nearly  always  confined  to  the 
younger  set.   The  party  would  usually  number  from 

twenty  to  fifty,  and  even  more  than  that  at  times.  The 
day  before  we  intended  taking  the  tramp,  we  would 
telegraph  Boguet  to  prepare  a  duck  supper,  informing 
him  of  the  number  in  the  party,  and  he  always  provided 
enough  and  to  spare.   We  would  all  meet  at  the  ren- 


71 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


dezvous  agreed  upon»  at  seven  o'do^  iharp  m  the 
evening,  and  make  the  start  iharp  on  time. 

Walking  in  Indian  fa^h'on,  or  single  file,  and  led 
by  one  who  knew  the  route  even  in  the  dark,  and  was  a 
good  walker,  who  would  forge  ahead  and  make  the 
pace  for  the  long  string  of  trampert  bdiind,  and  by 
kaving  at  seven  o'clock  we  would  usually  arrive  at 
Boguet'<}  by  half-past  eight.  When  the  moon  was 
shinir  rightly,  the  long  file  of  snow-shoers  passing 
thro  .  the  woods  in  their  white  blanket  suits,  fancy 
toques,  sashes  and  moccasins,  made  a  very  beautiful 
picture  of  the  sturdy  young  manhood  and  womanhood 
for  which  Lower  Canada  was  famed.  If  the  night 
turned  dark,  every  5!«^ond  man  would  light  a  torch  in 
the  front  of  his  toq  This  made  it  look  a  little  weird, 
but  very  picturesque,  and  away  we  would  go,  sing- 
ing as  we  tramped; — and  die  "  Snow-Shoers*  Song,"  <rf 
course,  having  the  preference: 

"Tramp,  tramp,  on  snow-shoes  tramping» 

All  die  day  we  marching  go; 
Til  at  night,  by  fires  encampinr 
We  make  couches  on  the  sno 

What  exhilarating  sport  and  fun  we  hi»».  cn  those 
tramps,  singing,  laughing  and  joking  all  the  way  along 
the  line  of  march.  Occasionally  some  of  the  boys  or 
girls  would  stub  the  toe  of  their  snow-shoes  into  some 
Uttle  elevation  of  snow  or  ice  which  could  not  be  seen, 
and  over  they  would  go,  and  have  to  be  helped  and 
placed  in  an  upright  position  on  their  snow-shoes,  to 
the  great  amusement  of  the  others.  Lots  of  headers 
were  made  into  snow  banks  in  trying  to  climb  over  a 


MONTREAL  IN  WINTER  n 

-nake  fence,  or  jump  over  a  small  chasm,  but  no  one 
wat  hur^  the  madentt  only  adding  to  the  fun.  Finally 
we  would  amye  at  Boguet't,  having  negotiated  the  five- 
mile  tramp  all  lookmg  happy  with  the  frost  sparkling 

hke  diamonds  on  our  eyelashes  and  on  the  borders  of 
our  toques,  and  the  girls  with  beaming  faces  bubbling 
over  with  good  humor,  we  would  enter  the  Inn,  and 
after  removing  our  snow^oes  and  wraps,  flock  into 
the  big  barn,  and  with  appetites  sharpened  to  a  point, 
like  a  lot  of  young  bears  at  feeding  time,  could  hardly 
wait  for  the  call  to  supper.    Long  tables  were  laid 
down  the  center  of  the  floor  in  two  rows,  and  without 
any  ceremony  we  would  take  our  seats  at  the  ubles, 
everything  having  been  prepared  before  our  arrival. 
Boguet  and  his  ssistants,  both  men  and  women,  would 
bring  ,n  and  s.  rve  the  wild  duck  supper  (a  whole 
duck  for  each  plate),  with  onion  dressing,  baked  pota- 
toes, hot  rolls  and  cofl^ee.   After  doing  full  justice  to 
the  hrst  course,  we  would  have  for  dessert  all  kinds  of 
pies,  crullers,  or  doughnuts,  as  we  called  them.  Boguet 
never  had  reason  to  feel  that  what  he  served  us  was  not 
appreaated,  for  everything  was  eaten  that  was  served, 
and  we  alwa3rs  had  enough. 

After  supper  the  tables  would  be  cleared  away,  and 
a  couple  of  French-Canadian  fiddlers  would  start  the 
music  and  as  all  the  feet  in  the  room  were  shod  with 
buckskin  moccasins  the  dancers  made  but  little  noise 
on  the  floor  with  their  feet,  but  not  otherwise,  for  the 
fun  was  kept  up  until  about  ten  o'clock  by  as  noisy,  but 
good-natured,  happy,  healthy,  and  jovial  a  crowd  of 
young  people  as  could  possibly  be  found  anywhere. 
When  the  clock  pomted  to  ten,  liie  leader  of  the  party 


74         THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


would  shout  out,  to  that  all  could  hear  him,  "Ten 
o'clock!"  and  the  dance  would  come  to  an  aid  at  once. 
Then  we  would  all  put  on  our  blanket  coats,  toques, 
sashes  and  caps,  and  after  fastening  on  our  snow-shoes, 
start  on  the  back  trail  for  home,  arriving  there  not  later 
than  half-past  eleven,  pretty  well  tired  out,  but  feeling 
fine  and  quite  ready  to  go  to  bed  without  any  urging, 
as  insomnia  was  a  thing  quite  unknown  to  young  peopte 
who  lived  as  we  did. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


ENTER  SPRING! 

The  cold,  sharp,  frosty  air  of  winter  usually  benn 

toward  the  middle  of  March;  the  snow  would  begin  to 
melt  on  the  sloped  loofa  of  the  hoiuet  and  the  water 
drop  down  from  the  eave.,  but  woe  betide  the  unfor. 
tunate  pedestrian  walking  underneath  on  the  side- 
walks when  one  of  the  great  avalanches  of  snow  would 
.  anchorage  on  one  of  those  high- 

gabled  French  roofs,  and  slide  down  with  a  swish  and  a 
roar,  gaimng  momentum  every  moment,  burying  every- 
thing underneath  and  piling  up  in  great  mounds  on  the 
sidewalk.   As  long  as  there  was  nothing  but  snow  in 
the  tilde,  no  one  would  be  very  much  hurt,  but  their 
feetan^  would  receive  a  shock  at  receiving  the  ice- 
water  bath,  and  a  good  plastering  of  wet  snow;  but  if. 
as  sometimes  happened,  the  slide  carried  with  it  a  lot 
of  ice  which  had  formed  along  the  eaves  of  th  roof 
any  passer-by  caught  under  a  downfall  of  this  kind 
was  apt  to  get  very  badly  hurt. 

St  Patrick's  Day  (March  the  seventeenth)  was  the 
day  that  all  the  Inshmen  in  the  dty  turned  out  to  take 
part  m  their  great  annual  parade,  and  was  ii.variably  a 
sunshiny,  balmy  day  overhead,  but  bad  under  foot 
A  warm  sun  was  melting  the  snow  and  ice,  water  was 
dnppmg  from  the  roofs  of  the  houses  and  pouring  down 

75 


TB         TBE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

diroui^  the  tpouts,  filling  up  the  gutters  on  the  sides  of 

the  streets,  so  that  men  had  to  line  the  trenches  and 
keep  the  passages  clear  to  the  gratings  of  the  sewers  on 
the  street  comers,  and  allow  the  water  to  escape  and 
avoid  a  flood.  But  overiiead»  a  bright  sun  and  a  clear 
atmosphere,  permitting  the  participants  in  the  parade 
to  wear  their  silk  hats,  black  frock  coats  with  sham- 
rocks for  boutonniers,  also  shamrocks  stuck  into  the 
hatbands  of  their  hats.  Everyone  in  the  parade  wore 
green  sashes,  or  wide  collars,  and  deep  cuffs  trinuned 
with  gold  braid  and  fringe.  The  marshals  of  the 
parade  rode  on  horseback  and  had  their  horses'  bridles 
trimmed  with  green  ribbons  and  green  plumes;  the 
saddle  cloths  of  the  horses  also  of  green  military  cloth 
and  trimmed  with  gold  braid  and  fringe.  Hie  finest 
brass  band  was  selected  to  lead  the  procession.  Then 
would  follow  the  officers  of  the  different  societies  in 
han'^.some  sleighs,  driving  in  great  state,  and  after 
these,  the  long  procession.  Each  organization  was 
headed  by  its  own  band,  with  green  and  gold  sarin 
banner  and  Icmg  streamers.  They  would  march  through 
all  the  principal  streets  of  the  city,  and  make  a  very 
respectable  showing  and  imposing  display;  but  the 
walking  was  bad,  the  roads  were  heavy,  even  in  the 
middle  of  the  streets;  for  the  sun  was  doing  its  deadly 
work  on  the  snow,  and  was  sure  to  conquer,  for  in  two 
or  three  weeks  at  most  it  would  disappear.  So  we 
always  dated  the  advent  of  spring  from  St.  Patrick's 
Day,  the  seventeenth  of  March. 

When  the  big  thaw  set  in,  the  corporation  would 
hire  all  the  old  box-sleighs,  horses,  and  laboring  men, 
^o  would  offer  their  service  to  dig  out  the  streets 


ENTER  SPRING!  77 

The  mom,  tccumulating,  and  bdng  beaten  down  by 
the  constant  traffic  through  the  winter,  had  become 
very  sohd  and  had  raised  the  surface  of  the  roads  «o 
high,  that  in  walking  or  driving  along  the  middle  of  the 
jtrwts,  especially  the  narrow  ones,  one  was  able  to 
look  into  the  second^tory  windows  of  the  houses  on 
each  side  of  the  road.   The  Habitants  would  drive  in 
from  all  parts  of  the  surrounding  co'ir'-  arriving  in 
the  city  with  their  chunky  teams  r    .      ,dian  ponies 
and  deep  box-sleighs,  and,  as  the         rs  with  pick- 
axes and  shovels  would  fill  up  their  box-sleighs  with 
snow  and  ice,  they  would  haul  their  loads  onto  the 
river  and  deposit  them  on  the  ice,  and  in  a  short  dme 
the  ice  on  the  river  would  break  up  and  carry  it  all 
away.   Just  as  soon  as  the  snow  and  ice  had  disap- 
peared from  the  streets,  the  sleighs  and  carryalls  were 
stored  away  m  the  bams  unril  the  next  winter,  and  the 
carts  wagons,  trucks  and  carriages  appeared  again 
on  the  streets.   The  boys  and  girls  put  away  their 
toboggans,  sleds,  snow-shoes  and  skates,  and  brought 
out  their  marbles,      >s  and  skipping  ropes;  and,  a 
little  later  on,  lacros  .  and  cricket  bats.  Gradually 
the  grass  began  to  sprout,  the  buds  to  burst  on  the 
twigs  and  brav,rhes  of  the  trees,  and  the  birds  arrivinjr 
dail>     great  fi  xks  from  the  Su.th,  bringing  with  them 
the  soft,  balmy  air  from  their  southern  homes,  and  all 
nature  seemed  to  take  on  a  new  lease  of  Ufe,  typical 
of  the  resurrection  from  the  dead. 

Everything  in  nature  had  been  buried  under  a 
blanket  or  shroud,  of  deep  snow,  and  now,  at  a  word 
from  the  great  Creator  of  all  things,  the  shroud  is 
removed,  the  graves  are  opened,  and  nature  asserts 


78 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


herself,  and,  like  Lazuras,  comes  forth,  her  veins  pul- 
sating with  new  life.  The  cold,  penetrating  frost  and 
the  biting  chill  of  winter  give  place  to  the  soft,  fragrant 
atmosphere  of  spnng,  and  the  daisies,  violets,  daffo- 
dils, the  yellow  dandelions  and  hedge  roses,  permeate 
the  air  with  their  sweet  perfume,  and  the  odor  of  the 
cedar  trees,  the  pines,  birch,  and  the  tamaracks  of  the 
woods,  fill  the  forest  with  sweet  fragrance. 

As  the  spnng  advanced,  the  ice  on  the  river  broke 
up  and  silently  floated  down  the  river,  carried  away  by 
the  swift  current,  and  finally  reaching  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence,  was  disgorged  into  the  Ocean.  Then  the 
waters  in  the  river  receded  and  fell  to  their  normal  level. 
All  is  now  busy  life  on  the  wharves,  the  warehouses  and 
freight  sheds  are  again  erected  on  the  piers,  and  every- 
thing made  ready  for  the  arrival  of  the  first  ship  from 
England. 

Captains  of  sailing  vessels  plying  between  the 
Mother  Country  and  the  Port  of  Montreal,  vied  with 
each  other  to  secure  the  prize  that  was  awarded  to 
the  captain  of  the  first  ship  reaching  the  Montreal 
harbor,  each  spring,  and  some  of  them  beat  around  the 
Gult  of  St.  Lawrence  for  days,  waiting  for  an  opening 
in  the  ice  so  as  to  sail  through  and  secure  the  prize. 
Crowds  of  people  could  be  seen  on  the  revetment  walls 
and  docks,  widi  spy  and  marine  glasses,  gazing  through 
them,  trying  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  first  vessel  which 
hove  in  sight,  and  the  vessel  that  succeeded  was  always 
sure  of  a  hearty  welcome  by  the  waiting  crowds  who 
would  make  the  welkin  ring  with  their  cheers,  from  the 
time  she  arrived  opposite  the  city  and  was  tied  up 
snugly  at  her  dock.   When  the  captain  walked  down 


ENTER  SFRIN6I  79 

the  gangplank  he  was  the  recipient  of  congratulations 
and  applause  from  every  one  present,  and  eveiy  man, 
woman  and  child  would  rush  forward  to  shake  him  by 
the  hand,  and  many  an  old  salt  said  that  the  proudest 
day  of  his  hfe  was  the  day  he  brought  his  ship  into  port 
at  Montreal  and  found  out  that  he  was  the  first  to 
amve. 

One  of  the  most  popular  hoUdays  in  Canada  is 
the  Queen  s  Birthday,  which  falls  on  the  twenty-fourth 
of  May.   All  the  British  soldiers  stationed  at  Montreal, 
and  the  volunteer  forces  as  well,  joined  in  a  great  mil- 
iary parade  and  sham  battle  on  this  day,  every  year. 
Eveiy  branch  of  the  service  was  represented,— artillery, 
cavalry,  mfantry,  military  train,  rifle  brigade,  com- 
missary stafl^  corps,  hospital  train,  and  supply  wagons, 
and,  with  their  magnificent  bands  of  music,  Highland 
pipes,  bugle  bands,  and  fife  and  drum  bands,  would 
march  to  Logan's  Farm,  about  a  three-mile  march 
from  the  city    This  farm  was  in  a  long  narrow  valley, 
with  high  hills  on  both  sides,  and  good-sized  clumps  of 
woods  at  both  ends  and  on  some  of  the  hills,  making  it 
an  ideal  spot  for  a  review  and  sham  battle. 

The  Irish  and  French-Canadians  always  assembled 
here  m  great  numbers  every  Queen's  Birthday,  both 
boys  and  young  men,  to  have  their  annual  fight  after 
the  parade.  The  Irish  crowd  would  assemble  on  the 
eastern  hill  and  the  French  crowd  on  the  western, 
and  the  leaders  would  line  their  men  up  on  the  crest 
of  each  hill,  with  a  fringe  of  woods  at  their  backs, 
ihe  Irish  wore  red  caps,  and  the  French,  blue  caps, 
and  were  named  after  the  color  of  their  caps.  The 
Insh  were  called  "Red  Caps."  and  the  French,  "Blue 


80  THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


Caps."  They  were  not  allowed  to  uie  firearms  of 
any  kind,  but  every  man  on  each  ride  was  armed  with 
a  good-sized  club.  Just  as  soon  as  the  sham  battle 
and  parade  concluded  with  the  Royal  salute  of  twenty- 
one  guns,  exactly  at  twelve  o'clock,  the  French  Cana- 
dians would  come  out  of  the  woods  and  take  possesricm 
of  the  top  of  their  hill,  and  the  captain  wmild  line  his 
men  up  and  give  them  their  final  instructions;  the  Irish 
captain  doing  the  same  on  the  opposite  hill,  the  two 
mobs  facing  each  other  with  the  valley  between,  sep- 
arating them  one  from  the  other.  Then  the  captains 
of  the  two  mobs  would  shout  across  the  intervening 
space  to  their  opponoits,  threatening  to  exterminate 
them  as  soon  as  they  clashed,  and  in  language  more 
forcible  than  polite;  and  at  a  given  signal,  both  mobs 
would  rush  down  the  slopes  of  their  resp  ective  hills, 
shouting  and  yelling  at  the  tops  of  their  voices,  and 
clashed  together  on  the  level  ground  in  the  valley  below, 
and  the  fight  was  on,  both  sides  doing  their  level  best  to 
put  the  other  to  flight.  One  could  hear  the  thuds 
of  the  sticks  as  they  brought  them  down  on  the  heads 
of  their  opponents,  something  like  Donnybrook  Fair, 
"whenever  a  man  found  a  head,  he  hit  it."  The  battle 
waged  fast  and  furious;  thousands  of  people  finding 
positions  on  elevated  ground  where  they  could  get  a 
good  view  of  the  fight,  keeping  up  an  incessant  racket, 
cheering  the  side  they  favored.  All  kinds  of  military 
tactics  were  resorted  to  by  the  captains  <^  both  teams, 
to  secure  the  advantage  over  their  opponents;  man 
were  assigned  to  carry  the  wounded,  or  knocked  out, 
to  the  rear,  and  when  any  section  of  either  side  was 
getting  the  worst  of  it,  the  bugle  sounded  and  rein- 


£NTER  SFBINGI  gi 

forcements  were  furnished  at  once.   At  times,  you 
could  see  dozens  of  men  who  had  lost  their  sticks  fight- 
ing It  out  with  their  fists,  or  wrestling  with  each  oSier 
for  all  they  were  worth,  and  when  two  well-matched 
men  came  to  grips,  you  could  sometimes  see  as  fine  a  bit 
of  boxmg  or  wrestling  as  you  want  to  look  at.  The 
fight  would  usually  last  for  an  hour,  and  if  neither  side 
was  beaten,  they  would  run  up  a  white  flag,  a  truce  was 
called,  and  it  would  then  be  called  a  draw  until  the  next 
yean    But  ,t  was  always  a  hard  job  to  stop  the  fighting, 
at  the  men  on  both  sides  had  their  fighting  blood  u^ 
«,d  wanted  to  see  it  through  to  a  finish.   At  other 
tinges  one  of  the  belhgerents  would  succeed  in  a  charge 
and  drive  their  opponents  right  out  of  the  vaUev- 
when  this  was  done  they  were  declared  the  winners.  Of 

h^.!'     K  T'^T  '"^"^^  °f  the  com- 

batants on  both  sides  were  very  severely  hurt  and 
wounded  at  this  annual  scrap,  but  I  never  heard  of 
any  fatalities,  but  such  bitter  feelings  were  engendered 
that  the  authorities  at  last  took  the  matter  up  and  put  a 
stop  to  It  for  all  time.  ^  "uputa 

.n^^K*  »^08phe-e  got  warmer  as  the  season  advanced, 
and  the  water  lost  ite  ,cy  coldness  as  we  entered  the 
month  of  June,  so  that  all  the  boys  and  young  men 
were  enabled  to  mdulge  in  their  favorite  sport  of  swim- 
ming and  the  Lachine  Canal  was  largely  patronized 
for  this  purpose.  Any  hour  of  the  day  you  could  see 
scores  of  youngsters  and  young  men  having  a  fine  time 
divmg,  swimming,  and  floating  in  the  placid  waters  of 
this  canal,  as  it  was  wide,  and  deep  enough  to  allow  the 
^ge  passenger  steamers  to  steam  through  on  their 
way  to  Upper  Canada.   The  canal  was  nine  miles  b 


M  THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


lengdi,  and  the  steamers  had  to  pass  through  several 
locks  before  they  reached  Lachine  and  entered  Lake  St. 
Peter  on  their  way  to  the  upper  lakes.  The  swimmers 
would  be  on  lookout  for  them  as  they  passed  through 
the  locks,  and  as  soon  as  the  great  paddles  churned  up 
the  water  into  billcfwy  foam-crested  waves,  we  thought 
it  great  sport  to  dive  into  the  water  neai  the  stem  of 
the  steamer  as  she  passed,  and  swim  out  into  her  wake 
and  rise  up  and  down  with  the  big  waves  until  they 
subsided.  I  was  very  fond  of  diving,  and  had  the 
reputation  of  being  able  to  stay  under  the  water  for  a 
longer  period  of  time  than  any  of  the  boys  of  my  own 
age.  One  day  I  was  swimming  with  a  lot  of  boys, 
and  we  were  vying  with  each  other  as  to  who  could 
stay  down  the  longest,  and  one  of  them  suggested  I 
should  dive  from  <me  of  the  stringpieces  cf  the  bridge 
into  the  water  about  sixteen  feet  below,  and  at  the 
same  time  dared  me  to  do  it;  so  I  accepted  the  chal- 
lenge, and  took  a  header  straight  down,  thinking  I  had 
fully  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  of  water  below  me; 
instead,  there  was  a  submerged  log  not  more  than  eight 
feet  below  the  surface,  and  my  head  came  in  contact 
with  this  log  with  such  great  force  that  I  lost  conscious- 
ness and  did  not  rise  as  expected.  My  eldest  brother 
Chris,  sitting  on  the  side  of  the  bridge  chatting  with 
some  of  his  friends  and  allowing  their  feet  to  dangle 
over  the  water,  heard  die  shouts  of  the  boys  and 
became  alarmed  at  once.  He  was  a  fine  swimmer  and 
diver,  and  plunged  in  head  first  and  found  me  clinging 
on  to  the  log  below,  and  brought  me  to  the  surface 
more  dead  than  alive. 

With  the  assisunce  of  some  men  who  were  looking 


ENTEB  SFRIN6! 

mv  T/"'  °"  ^"^  J^^Pt  moving 

my  arms  up  and  down,  until  some  boys  arrived  with  I 
barrel  from  one  of  the  factories,  and  they  rolled  me  on 
this  barrel  face  downward,  for  a  long  rime  before  they 
succeeded  m  getting  all  the  water  out  of  my  lungs  buT 

J  ^.hr"""*  T'^"  '"^^^  P"^'  theVgrfduaSy 
rime^'r-  TT\^'  ^^"-^d  by  this 

time,  and  w,  h  the  aid  of  others  kept  working  over  me 
and  under  h.s  scienrific  instructionTmy  life  was  sav^i 
but,  as  the  boys  said,  I  had  r  Jose  call.    A  Mr.  qIa. 

I^Z^'v""',?^  ^'^P^  ^^'^>  was  a  fin: 
T  1"^"^^'  ""^  ^""^  ^^^^^  '"^«>^  «ves,  brought 
some  blankets  from  his  factory,  and  they  rolkd  me  up 
m  these  and  placed  me  in  a  factory  wagon  bedded  dowS 
with  straw  and  drove  me  home,  where  I  was  laid  up  for 
some  time,  and  ,t  was  a  good  many  days  before  I  was 
able  to  agam  mdulge  m  my  favorite  sport. 


CHAPTER  IX 


PUNISHING  A  BULLY 

All  this  time  we  had  been  living  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  City  of  Montreal,  just  outside  the  city  limits  in  the 
vicinity  of  father's  factoty.  Father  had  opoied  a 
large  warehouse,  with  salesrooms  and  offices  on  one  of 
the  principal  streets  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  and  decided 
it  would  be  more  convenient  for  him  to  be  nearer  his 
office,  and  therefore  we  moved  down  town. 

One  of  Montreal's  leading  and  wealthy  citizens 
had  erected  a  vety  large  college  building  at  the  eastern 
end  of  the  city;  it  was  a  very  large,  imposing  edifice, 
or  three  buildings  adjoining  each  other;  the  center 
was  a  handsome  structure  three  stories  high,  with  a 
two-storied  tower,  and  above  this  a  tall  spire  tapering 
to  a  point  supporting  a  flagstaff  with  the  Union  Jack 
always  flying  at  the  masthead;  the  two  stories  of  the 
tower  formed  two  very  large  rooms,  one  of  which  was 
used  for  band  or  orchestra  practice,  and  the  other  for 
dancmg.  The  ground  floor  of  the  main  building  was 
fitted  up  more  like  the  auditorium  of  a  church,  con- 
taining a  vety  fine  organ,  large  platform,  place  for 
orchestra,  with  comfortable  seats  semicircular  in  form, 
and  was  used  every  morning  by  the  teachers  and 
scholars  of  the  school  for  divine  worship,  and  was  also 
utilized  for  concerts  and  public  examinadons.  The 
two  upper  floors  were  used  as  classrooms  and  oflEices. 

84 


boys.  »f  r^htfrilS'  '■Tlfe':?^""-'^ 
«««  mpr  Doys,  and  the  same  number  of  eirU 

read  a  chapter  from  thTfiihi?   ^""^  ^^"W 

not  beine  allowMl     u-  °^^»  ^oys 

ve.y  fond  of  e"h1tht^(^°^«'.*"'  ^ 
Ais  time,  and  I  looked  un«i^  « 
to  thdr  b^g  Emh^      »P  «»  km.  «  ,11  ™an  boy.  do 

wme  8CI100I  as  Chnsj  and  now  that  I  was 


86  THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


really  going  with  him,  my  heart  was  filled  with  pride 
at  the  thought  I  was  at  last  one  of  the  big  boys  and 
would  no  longer  be  classed  as  a  "kid." 

I  was  up  bright  and  early  the  morning  we  started 
«)getber  to  tdiodl  for  the  fint  time,  and  all  the  way  to 
school,  for  it  was  a  mile  and  a  half  walk  from  our  house, 
Chris  kept  posting  me  up  as  to  how  I  should  act,  and 
among  other  things,  told  me  that  the  monitor  of  my 
division,  the  intermediate,  was  a  boy  named  Metcalf, 
and  he  pronounced  him  a  bully  and  a  cad,  and  said  that 
the  boys  of  the  division  simply  hated  him  for  the  way 
he  treated  them,  and  for  making  their  lives  miserable 
by  his  overbearing  conduct;  but,  at  the  same  time  he 
thought  him  a  coward,  and  if  a  boy  could  be  found  who 
had  the  nerve  and  pluck  to  stand  up  for  his  rights  and 
thaw  that  he  was  not  afraid  of  him,  and  at  the  same 
time  be  able  to  stand  a  little  punishment  for  a  while — 
for  he  knew  that  Metcalf  would  fight  to  save  his  face, 
Chris  said  he  was  satisfied  that  he  could  lick  him,  and 
said  he  thought  that  I  was  the  boy  to  do  the  trick,  and 
diat  one  of  the  reasons  he  had  for  training  me  to  box 
was  for  the  purpose  of  meeting  a  condition  of  this  kind, 
and  be  able  to  take  care  of  myself  and  not  have  to 
knuckle  to  a  bally  like  Metcalf. 

Chris  had  been  giving  me  boxing  lessons  for  a  long 
time.  Chris  said,  "  Now,  Jack,  this  bully  will  likely 
pick  a  quarrel  widi  you  the  very  first  opportunity  that 
presents  itself,  and  die  very  first  time  he  interferes  with 
you,  let  him  have  a  swift  right-hander,  and  let  it  land 
right  between  the  two  eyes.  I  will  be  on  the  watch  to 
prevent  him  from  taking  any  mean  advantage,  for 
he  is  capable  of  resorting  to  anjrthing,  and  I  will  make 


FINISHING  A  BCILT  g, 

Mia  much  heavier,  for  he  wu  fimmiM         t  i 
thirteen  year,  of  a^.  '  ""'^ 

d-S.™!''?'  ."Now,  Jack,  my  boy,  here  m,  „ 
tlie  ichool;  don't  misuke  me:  I  never  want  to  see^  a 

itu  f"  3™"  right.-  Now,  a 

htde  man;  don't  show  the  white  feather.  ««J  tf  you 
«n  only  hck  him,  you  will  be  the  mo.,  popular  Z 
m*.  ^vision,  and  will  do  a  great  service  toAe  ^hde 
•Aool,  for  even  Ae  senior,  havejiad  their  eyes  on  this 
cad  for  a  long  „me,  but  can't  do  anything,  for  it  is  4e 

With  this  partmg  advice  I  went  into  KhooL  and 
after  a  short  examination  by  two  of  the  teacht«  wa. 
-ignj^  to  the  sixth  class  in  the  intermediate  d"'is™ 
The  big  gong  funded  and  we  all  stood  up;  when  the 
«e,^nd  gong  sounded,  we  all  stepped  out  intt  Z  lt 
»d  at  .he  sound  of  the  third  'gong,  we  m^rft 

ddiTr-d  7  T  ^  ■""'hed  along 

kI/  f  ^    '^'?J'  <l«t  mate  and  a 

classer  FredT  "1^*"<'«»  "P  »to  our  several 
Classes.  Fred  Paylor  and  I  sat  at  the  nme  desk-  the 
desks  were  made  to  seat  two  boys  at  each,  wiA  ^ivd 
^s.  both  desk  and  chairs  fastened  secu^ly 
foM  Paylor  was  about  my  own  age.  but  not  v!r^ 
^s^i?"":*"^ Wehadhaldb^ 

He  SdTe™.    *"  ™  Mctcalf 

ne  said  he  was  a  great  tyrant  and  had  abuwd  »meof 

*el»ys  most  shamefully,  especially  the  small^^ 

l»»»elf  m  parocuUr,  and  warned  me  to  be  very  ca^ 


88 


THE  MAKING  OF  ▲  CANADIAN 


ful  how  I  treated  Metcalf  or  he  would  make  my  Mfe  a 

misery.  He  was  a  nice  boy,  but  seemed  to  feel  the 
indignities  that  Metcalf  had  heaped  upon  him  very 
keenly.  I  was  very  sorry  for  him,  especially  whc  n  he 
tdd  me  in  a  very  cmfidential  way  diat  hit  many  ack- 
nesses  had  made  him  quite  weak  and  norvoua,  ami  said, 
"You  know,  Arling,  I  am  not  very  strong,  and  am 
small  for  my  age,  and  I  have  to  put  up  with  it  or  he 
certainly  would  kill  me;  but  I  feel  it  right  in  my  bones, 
and  it  keeps  me  awake  at  night  thinking  about  it. 
Sometimes  I  can't  eat,  and  instead  cS  getting  stnmger, 
as  I  should,  I  am  afraid  I  am  getting  weaker  every  day." 
I  could  see  the  tears  standing  in  his  eyes,  which  he  was 
trying  so  hard  to  keep  back,  as  he  related  the  many 
contemptible  schemes  which  Metcalf  had  adopted  to 
humiliate  him.  And  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would 
lick  Metcalf  even  if  it  half  killed  me  in  dmng  it. 

I  was  a  good  strong,  husky  lad,  very  active  on  my 
feet,  and  with  lots  of  good  solid  muscle,  for  all  my  spare 
time  was  spent  outdoors  engaged  in  athletic  sports  and 
games,  and  even  when  the  weather  was  bad,  my  com- 
panions and  myself  would  repair  to  our  big  bam,  which 
we  had  fitted  up  as  a  gymnasium,  and  swing  on  the 
trapeze  bars,  box,  wrestle  and  perform  all  kinds  of 
stunts,  all  of  which  helped  to  make  us  strong  and  robust. 
But  I  was  never  quarrelsome,  and  everything  we  did 
was  done  in  the  best  of  good-nature;  and,  as  my  father 
had  brought  me  up  to  despise  anything  that  was  mean 
or  underhanded,  the  recital  of  the  wrongs  that  had  been 
perpetrated  on  the  boys  of  the  intermediate  division 
by  Metcalt,  as  told  to  me  by  Paylor,  just  made  my 
blood  boil,  and  I  thou^t  that  perhaps  I  had  been 


PliNlHUlNG  A  BULLY  89 

selected  by  some  unseen  po^er  as  the  protector  of  the 
weak,  and  the  champion  of  those  wickedly  oppressed 
boys,  to  reKue  them  from  the  tortures  they  were  en- 
during at  the  hands  of  this  tyrant.  Metcalf,  whom 

Paylor  pomted  out  to  me.   I  looked  him  all  over,  and 
saw  that  he  had  a  bad  face,  for  it  had  a  bad  scowU 
hif  eyes  were  small  and  very  close  together  and  were 
beady  and  shifty;  he  had  a  low  forehead,  and  his  head 
was  covered  with  a  thatch  of  coarse,  jet4)lack  hair. 
1  did  not  like  his  looks,  and  was  a  little  bit  afraid  I  waa 
m  for  the  lickin'  of  my  life-he  looked  to  me  so  brutal 
and  wicked;  he  was  sitting  at  the  right  of  the  front 
row  of  desks,  and  his  shifty,  beadUke  eyes  were  roving 
all  over  the  class  and  taking  in  everything  that  was 
going  on— except  the  lessons. 

Paylor  also  told  me  that  the  assistant  head  master 
was  a  very  fine  fellow;  his  name  was  Goodwin;  he 
was  a  strapping  big  Englishman,  fond  of  all  kinds  of 
sports,  and  was  ahrays  gkid  to  join  the  boys  in  any  of 
their  games,  but  studiously  avoiding  interfering  in  any 
of  the  scraps  the  boys  got  into  among  themselves  when 
m  the  playground,  and  if  a  scrap  was  on,  he  would 
usually  turn  his  back  so  as  not  to  see,  or  walk  off  pre- 
tttiding  he  had  something  to  do  in  the  office,  and  let 
hem  settle  it  among  themselves;  and  this  was  the 
action  taken  by  all  the  teachers;  they  thought  it  made 
the  boys  self-rehant,  and  would  teach  them  to  take  care 
of  themselves.    But  it  was  well  known  that  he  was 
aware  of  the  contemptible  character  of  Metcalf  but 
never  by  word  or  act  did  he  allow  it  to  be  seen;  he  had 
no  favorites,  and  treated  aU  the  boys  alike,  showing  no 
partiauty.      -  " 


90         ,THB  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


The  teadim  were  all  brought  out  fiom  Enijdbiid; 
they  had  been  selected  with  great  caie»  and  wm  a 

fine  lot  of  manly  men.  No  boy  was  favored  over 
another,  and  a  tale-bearer  was  treated  with  scorn. 
They  certainly  set  a  magnificent  example  of  inde- 
pendent manlinett  to  every  boy  in  diat  tdioo!,  and  had 
won  the  confidence  of  all  under  them;  the  boys  were 
loyal  from  the  largest  to  the  smallest,  and  showed  it 
by  their  obedience  to  commamis,  triiich  were  instantly 
obeyed. 

Paylor  gave  me  all  this  information  in  an  undertone, 
and,  adding  this  to  what  Chris  had  told  me,  I  made  up 
my  mind  I  was  going  to  get  a  good  thrashing  as  soon 
as  I  met  Metcalf,  for  he  was  so  much  bigger  than  I, — 
but  that  I  intended  taking  my  medicine  like  a  man,  so 
that  Chris  and  the  boys  would  not  be  ashamed  of  me. 

The  boys,  especially  in  sdiod  h^urs,  were  all 
treated  like  soldiers,  and  taught  to  act  instantly  on  die 
word  of  command,  or  at  the  sound  of  the  gong;  so 
when  the  time  arrived  for  recess,  the  big  gong  was 
sounded,  and  every  boy  jumped  and  stood  to  attendon; 
at  die  second  s(Hmd  oS  the  gong  they  stepped  out  to 
the  ri^t  or  left  into  the  aisles,  and  at  the  third  sound 
from  the  gong,  mardied  out  in  nn^e  file  into  the 
playground. 

Paylor  and  I  were  standing  together,  chatting,  and 
watching  a  lot  of  the  boys  playing  f-iotball,  and  Metcalf 
was  in  the  crowd.  I  was  watdiing  him  all  the  time 
kicking  and  cuffing  the  boys,  especially  the  smaller 
ones,  when  they  did  not  do  just  as  he  wanted  them,  and 
I  could  see  that  they  were  all  afraid  of  him,  for  he  acted 
exacdy  like  a  snapping,  ugly  cur,  so  they  kept  as  far 


PUMJHUINO  A  BDLLT 


ijrty  ftom  him  u  pouible;  but  as  the  game  proceeded, 
the  ban  wu  kick«i  into  the  air  over  the  heads  of  all  the 
players,  and  just  as  it  was  landing  in  front  of  Ptylor 

and  myself,  I  ^ave  it  a  kick  and  sent  it  huitling  over  the 
fence  and  out  of  bounds.  Metcalf  saw  that  it  was  I 
who  did  it,  and  recognized  me  as  the  new  boy  who  had 
jun  entered  the  division  that  morning,  and  that  it  was 
up  to  him  to  put  me  where  I  belonged  and  let  me  lee 
that  he  was  the  boss  right  on  the  start;  he  at  once 
made  a  rush  at  me  as  though  he  would  annihilate  me 
on  the  spot;  his  face  was  a  fiery  red,  and  his  little  bea-* 
Kke  eyet  were  abnott  closed  and  looked  like  two  hi 
•pecks  of  fire;  his  fists  were  clenched  and  he  was  in  . 
most  uncontrollable  fury  of  anger,  dashing  at  me  Uke 
an  mfuriated  mad  bull.   I  never  moved  from  where  I 
was  standing  but  watched  him  closely  as  he  came  at  a 
headlong  gait  until  he  reached  the  place  where  I  was 
standing;  yelling  and  shouting  what  he  was  going  to 
do  to  me;  but  I  could  not  understand  a  word  he  uttered, 
for  he  was  frothinc  at  the  mouth  with  furious  anger, 
but  just  as  he  drew  h  ■  k  his  fist,  aiming  a  savage  blow 
*\^y  face,  I  side-stepped  and  guarded  off  the  blow 
with  my  left  arm,  and  gave  him  such  a  smash  under  the 
jaw  with  my  right  fist  that  it  Ufted  him  clean  ofl^his  feet 
and  landed  him  on  his  back;  he  did  not  stay  there  for 
a  moment,  but  jumped  up  and  made  a  rush  at  me  with 
his  head  down  as  if  he  were  going  to  gore  me  like  an 
angry  bull;  I  waited  until  he  was  only  an  arm's  length 
away,  then  stepped  one  side  and  met  him  with  an 
upper  cut  that  damaged  his  eye  considerably  and 
toppled  him  over  again.    By  this  time  the  v!ick 
playground  was  in  an  uproar  of  excitement,  the  -oys 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


yelling  at  the  tops  of  their  voices:  "A  fight!  A  fight!" 
Seniors  as  well  as  juniors  were  running  pell  mell  from 
every  quarter  to  see  the  fight;  but  two  of  the  older 
seniors,  Johnson  and  Belcher,  pulled  us  apart  and  said: 
"Boys,  this  is  no  place  for  a  fight!  Just  hold  in  and 
bottle  it  all  up  until  school  is  dismissed  at  four  o'clock, 
and  we  will  all  go  down  to  the  lumber  yard  where  we 
will  not  be  interfered  with,  and  you  can  have  it  out  to 
your  hearts'  content, — and  we  will  see  fair  play." 
So  the  fight  was  stopped  for  the  time  being. 

The  intermediate  boys  were  beside  themselves  with 
delight  that  a  boy  had  arrived  who  was  going  to  cham- 
pion their  cause;  but  no  demonstration  was  allowed  by 
the  seniors.  I  came  out  of  the  scrap  with  some  bad 
scratches  on  my  face,  and  the  skin  on  my  knuckles  was 
cracked  where  they  came  in  contact  with  Metcalfs 
teeth. 

But  Metcalf  certainly  looked  a  bit  groggy,  for  one 
of  his  eyes  was  changing  color  very  rapidly  and  his  face 
so  badly  swelled  that  two  of  the  seniors  had  to  take 
him  into  the  basement  washroom,  where  they  washed 
and  bathed  his  face  and  rubbed  it  with  some  liniment 
to  make  him  a  bit  more  presentable  as  be  entered 
school. 

Chris  whispered  into  my  ear,  "Good  boy,  you  did 
fine,  and  I  am  proud  of  you,  only  keep  cool;  don't  get 
excited  and  you'll  win  out  sure." 

When  the  gong  sounded  we  all  went  back  to  our 
places  in  school  and  everything  went  on  as  usual,  with 
the  exception  of  a  little  suppressed  excitement,  until  the 
noon  hour  for  lunch.  The  boys  could  hardly  take  time 
to  eat  their  lunches,  they  were  so  excited  at  the  pros- 


TONISHING  A  BULLY  ^ 

kind  of  a  n,ef!;Tri?ttwC:,J'  ^J!^  ?.eve,y' 
■>>«,  for  I  tnew  that  Chri.     j  ^hi.  did  not  frighten 

«.«M  watch  «^n^  "e  an^  fr'u."' 

mean  advanta^^^  """^ «>  «ke  any 

When  we  got  back  to  our  desks  P.„i 
'Arling,  I  can't  tell  you  how  m,Sh!Sw  °L1'''  "  ™' 

bitter   ^^^^  t^^^^^ 

great  bodily  i„ju,y, «,  .hat  y«,'S  be  kLi^ 

a  good  Punishm«f^;h„"S""''"L""'''"''^ 
depend  on       «e,nr^  ro*g?'^^tni^h 
re~ft'Str «  -ethtfwas'^; 

that  they  were  awar*-  of  .V  .  shghtest  sign 

win's  fac;  I  tL\7ht  i°Vo':i  r  j:«t"C- 

•mile  or  4^k^^      t        f  k„  7"  .'T'  ^  '■"'f 
"-i-HishUfortt^'l:.:-'^Pi:-Met- 


94 


THE  B£AKIN6  OF  A  CANADIAN 


long  time  and  knew  of  his  mean,  bullying,  tyrannical 
conduct  towards  the  other  boys,  and  would  be  mighty 
glad  to  hear  of  his  getting  a  good  thrashing  from  some 

one  of  the  boys. 

Well,  at  last  the  four  o'clock  gong  sounded  and  we 
were  dismissed  for  the  day.  When  we  passed  through 
the  gates  into  the  street,  we  made  at  once  for  the  lumber 
yard,  or,  as  the  boys  called  it,  the  fighting  grounds. 
The  word  was  passed  round  by  the  seniors  that  every 
boy  must  keep  perfectly  quiet;  no  shouting  or  any  loud 
talking,  for  fear  it  would  excite  the  suspicion?  of  the 
police,  with  whom  we  were  always  scrapping,  so  went 
very  quietly  to  the  fighting  grounds.  These  were  in 
the  center  of  a  very  large  lumber  yard,  filled  with  high 
piles  of  lumber,  but  the  boys  had  found  a  way  into  the 
very  center  of  the  yard,  which  for  som'  reason  had 
been  left  vacant,  leaving  an  empty  spa:e  of  fully  a 
hundred  feet  square,  and  as  the  ground  was  covered 
with  a  deep  bed  of  sawdust  well  trampled  down,  it 
made  an  ideal  place  to  hold  a  meeting  of  this  kind,  for 
it  was  surrounded  on  every  side  with  piles  of  lumber 
twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  high,  and  perfectly  secluded. 

A  large  ring  was  marked  out,  by  placing  boards,  or 
scantlings,  around  the  inclosure,  and  no  boy  was  allowed 
to  pass  inside  this  ring;  then  Johnson,  the  biggest  boy 
in  the  school,  was  selected  as  referee,  and  two  others  as 
seconds:  Morgan  as  Mctcalfs  second,  and  Belcher  as 
mine.  Thej'  first  of  all  took  a  pair  of  scissors  and 
clipped  our  nails  down  almost  to  the  quick,  to  prevent 
scratching,  took  our  shoes  off  and  replaced  them  with 
buckskin  moccasins,  and  then  stripped  us  to  the 
waist,  fastening  on  our  trousers  with  belts  which  they 


PUNISHING  A  BULLY  gs 
buckled  up  mighty  tight.   The  referee  placed  us  in 

^"^  «^^»"e  ^he  word  to 

Jght,  asked  us  how  many  rounds  we  wanted  to  fight 
I  rephed  I  wanted  the  fight  to  go  to  a  finish  no  matter 
how  many  rounds  we  fought.  Tliis  seemed  to  please 
Metcalf,  and  it  was  agreed  to.  Then  the  referee  told 
us  to  advance  from  our  separate  comers  to  the  center 

u  ^""^  Metcalf  refused  to 

Shake  hands,  saying  I  had  struck  him  that  morning 
before  he  had  had  a  chance  to  defend  himself,  and 
would  not  shake  hands  with  me;  he  said  this  with  a 
look  of  intense  hatred  showing  on  his  ugly  face,  and  I 
was  satisfied  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  half  kiU  me 
before  he  had  got  through  with  me. 

Chris  whispered  to  me,  "Look  out,  Jack!  don't  get 
excited;  keep  perfectly  cool  and  tire  him  out  before  you 
lead  out  strong."   The  referee  gave  the  word,  and  the 
moment  It  was  uttered  Metcalt  made  a  spring  at  me 
as  though  he  had  intended  to  knock  me  out  with  the 
nrst  blow,  but  being  pretty  nimble  on  my  feet,  I 
stepped  aside,  and  ..s  he  passed  me  I  let  him  have  a 
straight  right-hander  full  in  the  neck,  which  nearly 
staggered  him;  he  turned  and  rushed  at  me  like  a  mad 
dog,  but  I  evaded  him  znd  kept  him  on  the  rush  all 
around  the  nng,  for  he  was  so  much  bigger  than  I 
that  I  was  afraid  to  let  him  get  to  close  quarters,  and 
kept  sparring  and  dodging  round,  making  him  waste  a 
lot  of  wind  chasing  me  round  the  ring,  and  whenever  I 
got  a  chance,  landed  a  blow  wherever  I  thought  it  would 
do  the  most  good.    He  got  in  a  few  decent  cracks  at 
me,  but  nothmg  to  hurt  much,  for  I  very  soon  found  out 
he  did  not  know  much  about  handling  his  fists,  so  I 


M         THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


kept  up  the  sparring  and  dodging  game;  but  at  hut 
he  made  a  sudden  rush,  not  minding  the  blow  I  gave 
him,  and  grabbed  me  round  the  neck  to  get  my  head 
under  his  arm,  but  I  gave  him  the  foot,  and  he  went 
sprawling  onto  the  sawdust.  He  then  grabbed  me 
round  the  legs,  trying  to  upset  me  and  get  me  on  the 
ground,  but  the  rdferee  soon  stq>pe  1  diat,  and  we  were 
pulled  apart,  and  were  allowed  a  few  moments  to  get 
our  wind. 

I  was  none  the  worse,  save  for  a  few  bad  scratches 
on  the  face  and  arms.  Chris  gave  me  a  most  encour- 
aging smile  and  this  helped  me  a  lot,  for  he  looked  as 
though  he  was  proud  of  what  I  had  done. 

The  second  round  was  called,  and  as  usual  he  made 
a  sudden  rush  at  me,  perfectly  blind  with  anger,  and  I 
had  to  do  a  lot  of  side-stepping  to  save  myself  from  his 
terrific  lunges,  but  in  doing  so  my  foot  sUpped,  and  he 
was  on  me  like  a  panther  and  gave  me  two  pretty  bad 
punches;  but  before  he  got  in  cue  third,  I  gave  him  such 
a  crack  under  the  left  jaw  that  it  shook  him  from  head 
to  foot,  and  before  he  recovered  I  let  him  have  another 
in  the  same  spot,  and  over  he  went.  It  is  a  strange 
thing  to  say,  but,  recalling  the  experience,  I  was  not 
angry  with  him  up  to  diis  time,  but  if  anything  I  was 
sorry  for  him,  knowing  that  it  had  to  be  done,  and 
that  I  was  the  one  appointed  to  do  it,  and  that  I  was 
righting  a  great  wrong,  and  was  only  used  as  the  instru- 
ment to  accomplish  this  purpose. 

He  got  up  again  and  made  for  me  straight,  with  his 
mouth  wide  open,  and  grabbed  me  round  the  waist  and 
just  as  a  mad  dog  would  do,  he  sank  his  teeth  into  my 
arm  and  the  blood  spurted  out  in  a  stream.  The  boys, 


PUNISHL^G  A  BULLY  ^ 

teeing  what  he  had  done,  hissed  him  to  the  echo.  Now 
I  was  mad  for  the  first  time;  I  tore  him  off  my  arm 
and  getting  his  head  into  chancery  under  my  left  arm,  I 
played  a  regular  tattoo  on  his  face  until  he  simply 
yelled  for  mercy. 

We  were  then  pulled  apart.   His  face  looked  pretty 
bad  and  nriy  arm  was  bleeding  a  perfect  stream,  but  I 
did  not  mind  it  for  a  moment;  I  was  only  anxious  to 
hear  the  referee  call  time,  so  as  to  get  at  him  again,  and 
as  soon  as  we  did,  I  did  all  the  rushing  this  time,  and  I 
pounded  him  all  around  the  ring,  for  my  blood  was  up 
and  I  believe  I  would  have  finished  him  up  right  there 
so  that  he  would  never  fight  again,  when  the  seconds 
had  to  forcibly  pull  me  off;  but  I  struggled  even  then 
to  get  at  him,  when  one  of  the  seconds  said:  "You 
infernal  little  fighting  cock,  if  you  don't  keep  quiet 
when  you  are  told,  I'll  have  to  punch  your  head  my- 
self." 

When  we  faced  each  other  again,  it  looked  to  me  as 
though  Metcalf  had  had  about  all  he  could  stand,  and 
had  the  look  or  fear  in  his  eyes,  for  now  I  could  see  he 
was  afraid  of  me,  but  acted  as  though  he  was  going  to 
do  something  desperate;  I  could  see  it  in  his  eye.  I 
was  getting  pretty  tired  myself  by  this  time,  and  simply 
kept  feinting  at  him,  and  also  I  was  afraid  to  get 
another  dose  of  his  teeth,  but,  as  a  last  effort  he  made  a 
savage  lunge  at  me  and  seized  me  by  the  throat,  and 
before  they  could  tear  him  off  had  almost  choked  me, 
leaving  the  marks  of  his  fingers  on  each  side  of  my  neck. 
Ihis  made  me  so  mad  I  mustered  all  my  remaining 
strength  and  landed  a  blow  right  under  his  chin,  and 
he  dropped  as  if  struck  by  a  hammer,  for  I  had  knocked 


98  THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


him  clean  out,  and  he  could  not  rise;  then  pande- 
monium was  let  loose,  and  the  way  those  boys  did  yell 
and  shout,  you  would  think  they  had  gone  crazy. 
Belcher,  my  second,  and  Chris,  took  hold  then  at  soon 
as  I  was  declared  the  winner,  bathed  my  face,  neck,  and 
badly  lacerated  arm,  for  I  was  covered  with  scratches 
and  blood,  but  only  had  the  marks  of  a  couple  of 
blows  on  my  face  and  body.  I  felt  mighty  proud  at 
having  the  honor  of  knocking  all  the  fight  out  of  this 
tyrannical  bully  and  paying  him  with  interest  for  all 
his  past  cruelty  to  the  boys  of  the  schooL 


CHAPTER  X 
ADVENTURE  OF  CAMPING 

trac^ly      ?  was  a  government  con- 

mctor  and  hved  at  Quebec,  which  was  the  capital  city 
Lower  Canada  and  the  seat  of  government.   He  hZ 

etnlov'r/"  *t80vemmSt  bookbinding  and 
empbyed  a  large  number  of  men,  and  wa.  supposed 
to  be  very  well  off.    He  was  very  popular  with  aU  the 

pubhc  men  who  made  that  city  their  headquarter^ 

good-natured  man,  "hail 

good  fellow.  He  was  my  mother's  brother.  His 
«stei,  my  Aunt  Tilly,  also  Jived  at  Quebec.    She  wa 

il"  °f Artillery,  and  the 
d^d^t  member  of  my  mother's  family.   She  lived  at 

fnd  f^r  -Vu"  ^«  barracks, 

and  was  a  jolly,  buxom  woman  of  forty-five  and  ver^ 
popular  with  the  people  of  the  army,  especially  wiA 
the  officers  and  their  wives.  wpeaauy  witli 

Mother  received  a  letter  from  Uncle  Charles,  giving 
me  an  mviution  to  spend  my  two  months'  vacation 

to  let  me  go.   Of  course  I  was  greatly  delighted  at  the 

on  board  the  steamer  "Montreal,"  and  I  Started  on  ^ 
fiwt  journey  alone,  on  this  night-boat  for  Quebec,  a 


100 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


sail  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  miles  from  Mon- 
treal, and  arrived  at  Quebec  the  next  morning  at  seven- 
diirty.  Uncle  was  waiting  for  me  at  the  dock,  and  as 
•con  at  I  landed,  engaged  a  "calash,"  a  two-wheeled 

vdiide  drawn  by  one  horse,  and  we  started  up  die 

mountain  hill — the  steepest  hill  I  ever  saw  a  horse 
climb,  and  I  expected  every  moment  to  see  that  small 
Canadian  pony  lifted  bodily  into  the  air  and  hurled 
backwards  over  our  heads,  for  my  uncle  was  so  heavy 
and  stout  I  thought  surely  hit  great  wd^t  wmdd  lift 
that  pony  off  his  feet  as  he  climbed  that  ahnott  per- 
pendicular hill,  but  by  skillfully  tacking  from  one  side 
of  the  road  to  the  other,  back  and  forth  all  the  way  to 
the  top,  we  at  last  reached  the  street  in  what  they 
called  Upper  Town,  and  had  easier  going.  Uncle 
amused  me  all  the  way  by  laughing,  joking  and  directing 
my  attention  to  all  the  different  points  of  interest  on 
the  way  to  his  office,  where  he  had  a  suite  of  -'vims  which 
he  occupied  alone,  for  his  family  lived  distance 
from  die  city,  and  I  toon  found  out  tha  and  diey 
were  not  very  congenial. 

He  had  a  nice  little  room  fitted  up  for  me  in  his 
suite;  I  lived  with  him,  and  we  took  our  meals  at  the 
hotel  near  by.  After  breakfast  at  the  hotel,  Uncle  took 
me  down  to  visit  my  Aunt.  She  had  no  children,  and 
was  very  fond  of  me,  and  insi^ied  that  I  should  remain 
with  her  at  the  barracks,  for  at  least  that  day. 

She  took  me  for  a  walk  on  the  parade  grounds,  and 
all  over  the  fortifications,  which  were  situated  at  the 
very  top  of  the  immense  rock  from  which  we  could  look 
straight  down  into  lower  town,  gave  me  a  peep  into  the 
tubterranean  tunnek  which  lume)rcombed  the  under- 


ADVENTURE  OP  CAMPING 


101 

Wl'^a?/  ^'-^V  Abraham,  then  through  the 
We  then  vUited  27affir    •  ^         everything  to  me. 

hearty, jXcro^rfl!!!,''"^/"'  »  good-natured. 

of  the  OfEccrs  .old  W  „rd  5?„  ttcTr  r™' 
I  woidd  lose  mv  wav  .'n        •  j-  <«" 

Unci.  «»rr^:iS.trto''srrerfor'^''^- 

and«ud,4inel-  Tt  hrfK       u  '^''^.^"^  my  breath 

take  you  do™  to  a  fri4d  W^h  J""""""""  ' 
men's  outfitdng  establishrnr,  ^dT^i^tif  ^ 

reteeitrrrnr-'^j" 

^       P«f«tly  waterproof,  strong  boots  laced  up  » 


108 


THE  BiAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


the  middle  die  calf  of  my  leg,  and  heavy  woolen 
stockings  reaching  above  the  knees,  and  a  canvas  hat 
made  of  the  same  material  as  the  suit.  He  then  sup- 
plied me  with  a  small,  double-barreled  shotgun,  fidi- 
ing  rod  and  tackle,  fitting  me  out  completely  for  a 
two  weeka'  stay  in  the  woods. 

The  next  morning  sharp  at  six  o'clock  we  started 
for  Lavaltre.  There  were  just  six  persons  in  the  party — 
Uncls  and  three  of  his  friends,  the  driver  of  the  team, 
"Jacque  Cartier,"  who  was  also  a  fine  cook  and  all- 
round  man  about  a  camp,  and  myself.  Uncle  rode  in 
the  canvas-covered  wagon  with  Jacque  Cartier;  his 
three  friends  rode  on  horses,  and  I  was  supplied  with  a 
chunky  Uttle  Canadian  pony.  The  wagon  contained 
two  good-sized  tents,  a  fine  cooking  outfit,  and  pro- 
visions of  all  kinds;  our  guns,  fishing  tackle,  and  changes 
of  clothing.  I  was  as  happy  as  a  lark,  and  could  hardly 
contain  myself,  making  the  very  woods  ring  with  my 
songs.  Uncle  and  his  chums  laiH  I  was  the  Ufe  of  the 
party,  and  the  very  best  thing  they  ever  did  was  to 
bring  me  along.  I  enjoyed  every  minute  of  the  trip, 
but  they  made  me  sing  so  much  I  became  so  hoarse 
that  I  could  hardly  speak;  then  Uncle  ordered  me  not  to 
sing  another  song  until  I  got  better,  for  his  chums  were 
urging  me  to  sing  all  the  time.  The  roads  were  very 
heavy  with  sand  in  some  plac^,  and  very  rough  in 
odicrs;  we  had  to  follow  the  trail  over  mountains,  ford 
small  rivers  and  streams,  but  it  was  all  a  delight  smd 
pleasure  to  me. 

Toward  evening,  we  arrived  at  the  first  camping 
ground,  half  way  to  Lavaltre,  and  Jacque  Carder's 
team  of  horses  were  mighty  glad  of  it,  for  the  day  had 


ADVXNTDBB  OP  CAMPING  los 

been  very  hot  and  sultry.  As  soon  as  we  arrived. 
Jacquesardtr  unhitched  the  horses  and  tethered  them 
with  long  ropes  to  a  tree,  and  took  the  .addles  and 
bndles  off  our  horses  hobbled  them  and  ucund  th^ 
m  the  same  way  with  long  ropes  to  trees,  giving  them  a 

plenQT  «>f  «  w  the  viamty,  but  just  as  soon  as  they  were 
Ini        '^^'^      «n«  of  them  laid  down  on  the  grass 
and  rolled  over  and  over  again  until  they  were  tired, 
^en  got  up  and  shook  themselves  and  began  grazing 
Jacques  Cartj.r  was  a  never^nding  wonder  to^ 

Z/^H^  «"tJ«"dy  at  everything;  in  a  ve^r 

•hort  tmie  after  we  had  arrived  he  had  the  two  tents 
up,  a  fine  camp  fire  burning,  water  boiling  in  the  kettle, 
and  slices  of  bacon  on  the  end  of  a  .harp  stick  sizzUng 
over  the  fire,  and  the  odor  smiting  our  nostrils  in  a  most 
p-arfymg  way,  for  we  were  all  as  hungry  as  a  lot  of  bears. 
.nA""*  Carrier  did  all  the  cooking  himself, 

and  he  wa.  a  good  cook,  and  very  «x,n  had  the  supper 
ready;  It  was  spread  out  on  a  very  white  canvas 

r^r  th^  A' '^"^  p^^^' 

wmer,  the  dishes  were  all  made  of  enamel  metal,  and 
Ae  dimking  cups  of  the  same  material;  the  knives  and 
fork,  were  aU  .teel  with  horn  handles.  I  never  saw 
a  meal  prepared  more  quickly  and  never  ate  one  I 
enjoyed  more.  The  supper  he  provided  consisted  of 
ginger  ale  English  Breakfast  tea,  fresh  bread,  toast, 
bacon,  boiled  eggs,  fresh  lobster,  sardines,  and  crackers 
andchcese,— and  plenty  of  everything. 

to  -T^  7^'  ^'^^^^  ^  ""^^^  grove*  and  just 
Ik-  u  rT'  °^  """P  a  beautiful  waterfaU, 
which  M  into  a  good-sized  pool,  or  small  lake,  flowing 


104 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


into  a  wide  i tream.  After  supper,  Jacque,  at  wt  called 
him  for  short,  took  the  dishes  down  to  the  stream  and 
washed  them  thoroughly  and  put  them  all  back  care- 
fully into  their  own  boxes,  covering  all  the  boxes  with  a 
waterproof,  in  case  of  rain  during  the  night.  Then 
we  an  sat  around  the  camp  fire,  the  men  smoking  their 
pipes  and  cigars,  and  I  occasionally  entertaining  them 
with  a  song,  for  I  had  memorized  a  great  many,  both 
comic  and  sentimental,  as  well  as  sacred,  so  I  supplied 
them  with  a  good  assortment  of  all  kinds.  The  moon 
was  at  its  full,  shining  brightly,  and  lighting  up  the 
waterfalls,  the  lake,  and  rapids  in  the  distance,  and 
forcing  its  way  through  the  thick  foliage  of  the  forest 
trees,  it  illuminated  the  landscape  for  quite  a  distance. 
The  silence  and  srilhiess  of  the  forest  became  almost 
oppressive  at  rimes,  and  was  only  broken  by  the 
cr«>aking  of  the  frogs,  the  crickets,  the  hoot  of  an  owl, 
or  the  barking  of  an  occasional  fox,  which  our  two 
hunting  dogs  always  resporded  to,  and  as  the  night 
advanced  the  forest  noises  increased.  I  did  not  go 
into  the  tent,  but  lay  down  outride  on  a  spare  mattress 
covered  over  widi  a  thick  blanket;  I  could  not  go  to 
sleep  for  a  long  time,  but  just  laid  flat  on  my  back 
looking  at  the  bright  moon  and  the  myriads  of  stars 
which  spangled  the  whole  of  the  great  vault  of  heaven, 
and  let  my  imagination  run  loose.  I  thought  it  the 
most  romanric  spot  in  the  universe.  The  picture  was 
so  beautiful  it  has  never  fad«;d  from  my  memory,  and 
I  can  see  it  all  now;  the  burning  logs  on  the  camp  fire, 
shooting  up  their  millions  of  sparks  like  an  army  of 
fireflies,  the  men  sitting  around  the  fire  in  a  circle, 
smoking  their  pipes,  telling  stories  or  talking  politics. 


*'*'»'TimE  OP  CAMPING         •  m 

Beads  remai  oa  thor  pawt.  I  looked  at  it  all  and  wai 

perfectly  enttanced,  but  a.  I  wm  only  a  th^y«" 
old  l«y  ,„d  had  riding  in  the  fre.h  air  rfdSi^^ 
Jtefiily  picturesque  ™u„,ry  since  si,.thi„"X 
"wmni,  and  much  a.  I  admired  it,  I  could  not  keen 
Z^:T  rf'T'""."''  aJ-riration  for  any  grH? 
length  of  nme,  for  m  spite  of  my  be«  efforts,  my  eyes 
«»n  closed  and  I  went  fast  asleep.  I  awoMy 
n«t  mommg,  and  found  that  uncle  had  kta^^! 

•  J*  *^'; "  'triPP^J  off  and  t«* 

a  header  nght  mto  >t.  Oh,  but  that  was  a  great  nrim^ 
the  water  was  a,  clear  as  a  sheet  of  glass,  and"  ZL' 

ZS  r»r^l  ""^ /'''•■k  on  the  botZ^ 
««"«h  It  was  fully  ten  feet  deep.  After  the  swim  f 
came  out  and  dressed,  and  a.  it  ^  only  ialfirfoul 
o  doc..  «H>k  a  Uttle  walk  to  the  foot  of  Ae  fX  3 
«t  down  on  the  bank  gazing  down  into  the  wa«!^^t 

TsiTn  '<>  it.  I  discovered 

aT.rfft^f'?,r',™""^8  around  lazily 
fishem,;r  f  .'l'"^  I  ™.  a  most  enthusiastic 
beauties,  and  m  such  numbers. 
t.«t'^''rv''(!*  ""  ""^o"  told  Jacques  Cartier 
«  once,  and  I  was  back  at  the  foot  of  the  falls  in  a  few 
mom«,ts,  and  had  hardly  made  a  cast  whenT^tl 
fiB.  bite,  and  then  the  fun  bepn.   I  p|,y«,  ^ 


i 


106 


THE  SIAEING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


friend  for  a  little  while,  and  gradually  reeled  him  up, 
and  landed  the  finest  and  largest  speckled  trout  I  had 
ever  caught.  He  weighed  fully  a  pound,  and  at  the 
end  of  a  half  hour  I  had  as  fine  a  mess  of  speckled 
beauties  as  I  ever  saw.  Jacques  Cartier  and  I  cleaned 
them,  and  he  cooked  them,  and  we  surprised  uncle  and 
his  friends  with  as  fine  a  breakfast  of  speckled  trout  as 
they  ever  sat  down  to. 

My!  but  how  we  did  all  enjoy  that  breakfast. 
Uncle  and  his  chums  said  I  was  the  finest  boy  in  the 
land,  and  when  on  any  subsequent  occasion  they 
went  on  a  hunt  or  a  fish,  if  I  was  five  hundred  miles 
away,  they  would  send  for  me.  They  told  Jacques 
Cartier  his  wages  were  raised  from  that  minute. 

Everyone  was  in  good  humor  after  filling  his  stom- 
ach with  these  delicious  speckled  trout,  and  I  made 
uncle  promise  that  if  we  did  not  find  good  fishing  at 
Lavaltre,  that  on  our  return  we  should  camp  here  for 
at  least  one  or  two  days,  for  I  was  most  anxious  to  catch 
a  good  string  of  these  speckled  trout  for  aunty  and  the 
officers'  wives  at  the  garrison. 

It  did  not  take  Jacque  long  to  get  everything  packed 
up,  and  in  a  short  rime  we  were  again  on  the  trail  for 
Lavaltre.  It  certainly  was  hard  going,  for  the  trail 
wound  along  through  long  stretches  of  deep  sand,  and 
the  wheels  of  the  wagon  had  to  churn  through  it,  some- 
times up  to  the  hubs;  at  other  rimes  we  had  to  climb 
up  the  sides  of  mountains  where  the  roads  were 
composed  of  rocks  and  lome  stones,  for  the  rains 
had  washed  all  the  sand  away,  and  left  the  rocks 
perfectly  clean,  which  made  mighty  hard  pulling  for 
the  team. 


Well, 


ADVENTURE  OP  CAMPING 


107 


thank .  tn  T  '""'TT^i  '^"^  difficulties  all  right- 
thank,  to  Jacques's  splendid  abilities  as  a  driver  to  ford 
« W  a  small  river  and  stream,  forge  our  way  through 
thr  deep  sand  roads  and  cUmb  many  a  molTain  wkS 
o.  t  even  an  upset,  or  an  accident  of  any  kind 

At  last  as  we  were  creeping  down  the  side  of  a 
mountam,  Jacques  Carrier  pointed  outLavaltre  in  the 
distance  on  the  plains  below,  and  we  arrived  at  our 
destmanon  m  the  evening.   It  was  named  after 
Lake  Lavaltre  and  situated  on  the  banks  of  this  lake 
but  there  was  no  village  or  settlement,  nothingTut  one 
rambling  shack  and  a  few  outbuildings,  o^eS  and 
occupied  by  a  man  named  Moore,  his  t;vo  grown-up 
sons  and  two  daughters;  all  strong,  healthy,  husky 
looking  peopK.,  with  very  little  of  the  appea  ance  of 

«X         I         ^r^"  ^^^^  ^'''^y  good-lookin& 

^ 1    V''"  "'f'^  ^'''''^  hair  af: 

mi^  more  becomingly,  they  certainly  would  have 

made  a  more  attracj^ve  appearance  than  what  they 

did  on  our  arrival.   They  both  took  a  great  fancy  to 

me  and  began  to  mother  me  at  once,  and  they  did  so 

2f,  mothering  ,t  bothered  me,  but  still  they  we« 

c^lV^r"  T"^^  eveiything  they 

could  think  of  to  please  and  amuse  me.  ^ 

small  island  about  twenty  feet  from  the  mainland.  A 
v«y  large  tree  had  been  blown  down  by  a  humcane 
•wne  years  previous,  and  it  had  formed  a  natural 
bridge  between  the  island  and  the  mainland.  The 
Mc^re  boys  had  leveled  off  the  surface  of  the  tree  with 
an  adze,  and  it  made  a  very  wUd  bridge  to  walk  on. 


106 


THE  BCAKIN6  OF  A  CANADIAN 


without  having  to  balance  yourself  to  keep  from  falling 
into  the  turbulent  waters  below. 

The  second  night  that  uncle  and  I  slept  in  our  tent 
for  some  reason  I  laid  awake  f  r  quite  a  while,  watching 
the  smoke  curling  up  from  the  camp  fire,  which  was 
between  us  and  the  log  bridge,  and  only  a  few  feet 
away.  The  fire  was  burning  low  and  gradually  dying 
down,  and  I  must  have  dropped  off  into  a  li^t  doze, 
when  I  was  awakened  and  startled  by  a  strange  noise 
that  sounded  much  like  the  cry  or  wail  of  a  baby.  I 
jumped  up  immediately  without  disturbing  uncle  and 
looked  out  just  as  the  cry  was  repeated,  and  a  little 
distance  away,  about  the  center  of  the  log  bridge,  I 
thought  I  saw  a  moving  object,  but  very  indistinct,  as 
the  moon  was  hidden  behind  a  cloud;  then  I  saw  two 
small  bright  lights — like  two  balls  of  red  fire,  and  then 
that  dismal  wail  came  again.   I  certainly  was  startled, 
and  just  a  little  bit  frightmed,  for  I  was  now  sure  that 
it  was  a  wild  animal  of  some  kind,  and  very  quietly 
woke  uncle  up,  and  whispered  to  him  telling  him  what 
I  had  discovered.    He  was  a  good  hunter  and  a  crack 
shot,  and  was  on  the  alert  in  a  moment,  warning  me  to 
keep  quite  still.   He  picked  up  his  repeating  rifle  and 
bid  down  flat  on  the  ground — on  his  stomach — and  I 
laid  down  in  the  same  way  a  little  behind  him.  He 
caught  sight  of  the  two  eyes  glaring  at  him,  and  pointed 
his  rifle  directly  at  them,  when  the  animal  gave  out 
that  dismal  wail,  or  cry,  once  more,  and  just  at  the 
very  moment  that  it  did,  unde  fired,  and  of  all  the 
unearthly  yells  or  screeches  I  ever  heard,  that  animal 
surpassed,  as  uncle  fired;  then  a  deathly  stiUness  fol- 
lowed. 


ADVENTDBE  OP  CAMPING  io» 
Of  course  this  woke  up  the  whole  camp,  and  everv 

shout«l  to  them  not  to  come  too  close  until  we  had  Ught 
as  he  wa.  not  .ure  whether  the  animal  was  deadj  a 

out  from  behmd  the  cloud,  and  we  all  saw  the  animal 
lymg  nght  across  the  big  log  and  stone  dead,  a^ 
t«ned  out  to  be  the  largest  wolverine  that  had  ever 
been  shot  m  th,t  locality.  The  ball  had  hit  *e 
wolverme  nght  between  the  two  eyes  and  had  ne™! 
tiated  the  brain  and  killed  it  at  once 

Every  one  in  the  party  pronounced  it  the  finest 
P^  of  marksmanship  they  had  ever  witnessed  a^d 

ut-^  t  ■?»"""«•  J'^l-'^  Carrier  and  the 

Moc  ,  boys  skinned  the  wolverine  veiy  carefully,  and 

•tS  ?r  "  uncle  L". 

•nrf-ed  and  mounted  by  the  best  taxidermist  in  Quebe^ 
and  pre«fflted  ,t  to  the  Natural  History  Museum  It 
cmauJy  looked  vety  ferodou.  and  lifeUke  when 
mounted,  and  the  museum  was  crowded  wirvisT^r" 
for  many  days,  who  came  to  see  it   I  did  no^do  S 

ana  we  naa  tresh  fish  for  our  meals  all  th*. 
at  th»  ramn    Tu  ^       ^®  Were 

at  the  aimp.  The  women  never  tired  looking  after 
my  comfort,  and  they  certainly  made  my  stj"e 

and  the  first  rea  hunting  trip  I  ever  had.  It  gave  ml 
wmethmg  to  talk  about  all  the  time  I  was  at  SLb^ 
and  for  a  long  time  after  I  reached  home. 


CHAPTER  XI 


FIRST  BUSINESS  EXPERIENCES 

As  all  things  have  an  ending,  so  the  vacation  season, 
with  all  its  wonderful  experiences  of  travel,  sight- 
seeing, making  new  friends,  hunting,  fishing,  living  in 
camp  in  the  open,  and  everything  combined,  making 
that  two  months'  holiday  the  most  enjoyable  and  long  to 
be  remembered  that  I  had  ever  experienced  up  to  that 
time,  at  last  came  to  a  close  and,  on  the  first  day  of 
September,  I  went  back  tc  school  alone,  for  Chris  was 
not  with  me  this  time. 

My  uncle,  Mr.  Alfred  Durand,  one  of  Toronto's 
prominent  merchants  and  manufacturers,  had  visited 
Montreal  in  my  absence  and  induced  father  and  modier 
to  allow  Chris,  of  whom  he  was  very  fond,  to  return 
with  him  to  Toronto  and  make  his  home  in  the  future 
with  him  and  aunty.  They  had  no  children  of  their 
own,  and  it  was  his  great  desire  and  ambition  to  per- 
petuate the  large  business  which  h,e  had  built  up. 
Uncle's  idea  was  to  take  Chris  into  the  business  and 
make  him  acquainted  with  it  in  all  its  details  so  that 
in  time  he  could  manage  it,  and  eventually  give  him  a 
partnership,  and,  when  he  was  satisfied  that  Chris 
was  capable  of  conducting  it  successfully,  would  redre 
and  leave  it  in  his  hands.  I  had  a  very  lonely  feeling 
on  the  way  to  school  the  first  day  after  the  holidays. 
I  certainly  missed  Chris  very  much,  but  made  up  my 

110 


™ST  BUSINESS  EXPERIENCES  m 

o  ho  d  my  own  „i,h  boys  who  were  M  m!d,  old« 
d.an  I  none  of  them  le«  than  founeen,  a"d  tomTrf 

f«ded,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  was  promoted  awm 
■nto  the  next  dividon  higher,  where  the  boys  were 
from  two  to  three  years  older  than  myself  ^ 

I  was  forging  ahead  and  doing  splendidly  but  just 

word  from  father  to  come  home  at  once  When  I 
amved,  father.  moAer  «,d  the  girls  we  e  all  in  "he 

they  had  been  weeping;  I  did  not  know  what  to  ,^e 
of  .t  all.  for  eveo'  member  of  the  family,  except  fathw 

w«wlZr  '7,">'»6  "hck.  my  son,  it 

was  with  much  sorrow  of  heart  1  was  compelled  to  ask 
you  to  return  from  college;  but  the  fact  iTmy  dear  C 
I  was  forced  to  do  so,  for  I  have  had  a  sua« 'o„  rf 
faanaal  reverses  in  business;  I  was  unable  trme^Tthe 

away  and  I  have  been  forced  into  bankruptcy  and  will 
have  »  begu.  hfe  all  over  again,  and  in  '  yjy,^ 

t^Vt  ^raine  direct  from  father's  lip% 

unutterable  sorrow.-not  for  myself.-that  thought 
never  ««.  ^t«td  my  mind,  bl(j„yt»h<^ 


118 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


and  mother,  who  had  always  been  so  kind,  loving,  and 
generous  to  me  and  to  every  member  of  the  family. 

A  short  time  later,  I  met  Mr.  Yardly,  a  prominent 
member  of  our  church,  and  the  manager  of  one  of  the 
largest  wholesale  dry-goods  houses  in  the  city,  I  told 
him  of  father's  misfortunes,  and  he  expressed  his  deep 
sympathy  and  heartfelt  sorrow;  for  every  one  respected 
and  loved  father.  He  said  he  was  deeply  impressed 
with  what  I  had  told  him  and  wanted  to  know  if  he 
could  be  of  any  use  in  any  way,  either  to  father  or 
myself.  I  told  him  I  was  anxious  to  find  employment 
so  that  I  could  be  of  some  service  to  the  family,  and, 
knowing  that  he  had  a  great  deal  of  influence  in  busi- 
ness circles,  I  thought  that  perhaps  he  would  speak  a 
good  word  for  me  and  help  me  find  employment.  He 
said:  "Jack,  I  will  do  anything  in  my  power  to  help 
you;  and  also,  I  should  like  you  to  call  at  my  office  to- 
morrow morning  at  nine  o'clock  and  by  that  time 
I  think  I  will  have  some  news  for  you."  Of  course 
I  was  on  hand,  sharp  on  time,  the  next  morning.  He 
was  waiting  for  me  in  the  office,  and  as  soon  as  I 
entered,  he  took  out  his  watch  and  remarked,  "Jack, 
this  is  a  good  start;  you  are  here  right  on  the  tick  of  the 
watch;  keep  this  up — always  be  on  time,  for  time  is 
money."  He  told  me  he  had  talked,  since  seeing  me, 
with  Mr.  Clayton,  the  head  of  the  firm,  and  they  had 
decided  to  offer  me  a  position  in  their  establishment; 
but  to  bear  in  mind  that  it  meant  hard  work  from  the 
very  start.  I  assured  him  I  was  not  looking  for  a  sine- 
cure, but  for  a  position  where  I  could  show  by  my 
efforts  that  I  was  willing  and  able  to  work,  and  work 
hard,  and  had  fully  made  up  my  mmd  to  do  my  very 


FIRST  BUSINESS  EXPERIENCES  ns 
best,  no  matter  how  hard  I  had  to  work,  and  make 
fid      K  ""^        I  undertook  to  do.    He  said  he 

d^^rn?  "  r  '^'^  ""^y^  if  I  had  that 
determination  I  ^,  sure  to  succeed,  and  if  at  any  time 

I  wanted  advice  how  to  act,  to  be  sure  and.  come 
him  and  he  would  give  it  to  me  gladly.   So  I  was  en- 
gaged at  once  but  only  at  a  small  salaiy  to  start  ^ 
but  Mr.  Yardly  assured  me  if  I  proved  by  my  effom 
to  be  worthy,  they  would  advance  me  as^^a^a!  p^l! 

at  e^ht  o  clock,  and  went  to  work  on  my  first  job. 

mv,llf T  °f  or  lads,  like 

f«m  fiVr^  this  establishment,  ranging  in  age 

from  fifteen  to  twenty  but  very  few  of  them  seemed  fo 
Uke  much  mterest  m  their  work,  and  only  did  what  they 
real  y  had  to  do,  and  did  this  in  a  perfJnctory  wly  ^ 
1  was  put  into  the  packing  department  under  the 
S^dlr^'V  ^r"^  Scotchman,  but  who  thoroughl^ 

start,  that  if  I  wished  to  learn  how  to  pack  cases  and 
make  up  bales,  he  would  teach  me  afl  he  kne^  but  he 
could  not  force  me  to  learn.    I  told  him  I  ™  ver^ 

Uke  a  httle  pains  to  teach  me,  I  would  do  all  I  could  to 
pl^  him  and  would  try  to  lighten  his  burdens  as 
much  as  possible,  and  he  soon  found  out  I  was  as  good 
as  my  word  and  that  I  was  an  apt  pupil.  Ue  fim 
fnd  b V  Tt""'  learn  how'to  mark  cas« 

mk  and  a  brush,  and  then  showed  me  how  to  form  the 
planed  inwrd,  and  with  some  addresses  to  copy,  told 


114 


THE  liAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


me  to  go  ahead.  I  worked  at  this  for  two  days  and 
I  became  very  much  interested  in  th-^  work,  and  the 
following  day  he  allowed  me  to  mark  some  cases  and 
bales  which  were  ready  for  shipment,  but  insisted  they 
had  to  be  lettered  almost  equal  to  a  signboard.  I  fin- 
ished them  to  his  satisfaction,  and  from  that  time  on  I 
marked  all  the  cases  and  bales  that  were  shipped. 

One  morning,  Mr.  Clayton,  the  head  of  the  firm, 
walked  into  the  packing-room.  He  visited  every 
department  in  the  warehouse  each  day;  he  stood 
behind  me  and  watched  me  closely  as  I  marked  a  case 
which  was  ready  for  shipping,  and  when  I  had  finished 
marking  it,  he  said:  "^ling,  this  is  a  nice,  clean  piece 
of  work;  always  do  your  work  in  that  way;  take  time 
and  do  it  well,  and  remember  this  obtains  in  everything 
you  do."  He  then  walked  away.  In  a  few  weeks* 
time,  I  had  not  only  learned  how  to  mark  cases,  but 
how  to  pack  them;  also  how  to  make  up  bales,  par- 
cels, make  out  the  biUs  of  lading,  and  ship  the  goods  as 
well  as  the  head  packer  himself. 

I  was  then  put  into  the  entry  department  and 
taught  how  to  make  the  entries  in  the  day  book  and 
make  out  invoices.  As  soon  as  I  had  become  pro- 
ficient at  this  work,  I  was  advanced  a  step  further 
by  being  assigned  to  die  ribbon  departmoit,  and  in  time 
I  was  made  the  manager  of  it  and  then  advanced  to  the 
shawl-room,  and  from  that  on  until  I  had  completed 
the  rounds  of  the  establishment  and  was  thoroughly 
grounded  in  the  details,  qualities,  and  values  of  every 
article  of  goods  in  the  warehouse  and  made  rapid 
progress,  worked  hard  early  and  late,  and  before  I 
was  dghtMn  ytua  dd,  was  in  the  receipt  of  the  largest 


mW  BUSINESS  EXPEBIENCES  u« 
S'J^™S:'LT       "  '         fellow  otmy^ 

I  was  venr  f„„j„7?  >»  n*.  «n<l  I  mutt  say 

the  Cloth  Exhibit.  As  X  Xm.  ^i,^*^^!"/ 
«l..b.t  were  missing,  the  shortag7w«'^'^„  tSc^' 

over  the  ward,<SL.  ?v.t  P*^*^^^ 
else  c«  .k.  suspected  every  one 

hou«  ^iT^        '  ™      "         of  the  ware- 
I  A\?""''e«"«Jk«dinatabouttwdv^ 
thirty.  I"kedh»whatI««Uddoforhim.  S«a 


116 


THE  MAIONG  OF  A  CANADIAN 


he  wanted  to  pay  a  bin,  and  handed  me  a  imaO  piece  of 
white  paper,  the  kind  we  used  for  covering  doth  tablet. 

It  read:  "Pay  to  the  order  of  Peter  Harvey  the  sum  of 
three  hundred  and  sixty-five  dollars,  for  goods  deliv- 
ered.** My  suspicions  were  aroused  immediately, 
but  without  for  a  moment  letting  the  man  see  that  I 
thought  there  was  anything  unusual  about  the  bill,  aa 
he  called  it,  I  explained  that  the  bookkeeper  was 
expected  in  at  any  moment,  and  to  kindly  take  a  |uit 
in  the  oflSce  until  his  arrival,  and  he  would  give  himra- 
receipt;  so  he  sat  down  in  the  outer  office  and  I  handed 
him  a  paper  to  read  while  waiting.  I  could  see  by 
his  actions  that  he  did  not  know  that  anything  unusual 
had  happened. 

I  went  outside  the  office  and  rang  a  bell,  and  when 
the  porter  answered  it,  I  took  him  to  the  front  of  the 
warehouse  and  told  him  to  run  quickly  to  die  Mer- 
chants' Club  and  tell  Mr.  Clayton  to  come  to  the  office 
at  once,  and  to  bring  Detecrive  Latch  along  with  him; 
I  was  aware  they  were  dining  together  at  the  club. 
They  both  arrived  in  a  short  rime  in  a  cab.  I  took 
them  bdiind  some  big  piles  of  wooloi  goods,  where  we 
could  not  be  seen,  or  heard,  and  in  a  few  words  told 
them  what  had  transpired  in  their  absence,  showing 
them  the  paper  the  man  had  given  me.  Mr.  Clayton 
took  the  man  into  his  private  office  and  kept  him  in 
conversation  yrhik  Mr.  Latch,  the  detecrive,  instructed 
me  y^hzt  to  do  y^hen  Mr.  Harvey  arrived.  He  told 
me  to  remain  near  the  front  door  unril  Mr.  Harvey 
came  in,  and  to  walk  down  the  aisle  with  him  until 
opposite  the  office,  and  then  tell  him  that  Mr.  Clay- 
ton wanted  to  see  him  inside. 


FIBSr  BUSINESS  EXrEHIENCES  117 

r  11^  i?*  detective  walked  into  the  office,  and  I 

Pardon  u.  for  keeping  you  waiting  so  long,  but  no 
one  ,s  allowed  to  take  in  money  and  receipt  for  it  but 
2?"   l^^'^r.'*™-    You  want  to  pay  thi.  bill. 

haril  job  to  do  It,  and  then  handed  Mr.  Latch  the  cur- 
^  thmkmg,  of  cou«e,  that  he  was  the  book- 
keep.  Mr.  Latch,  the  detective,  counted  the  money 
m^e  presence  of  Mr.  Clayton  and  myself,  and^v^ 
Im,^"  t  I^"t  '"^^ined  the  original  memo 

t^Slin^vL'-r'  ^'"u"''  man.Sl  ar:r; 

to  detam  you  but  you  have  to  remain  here  until  Mr 

Harvey  arnves.  The  fact  is,  this  firm  has  been  robb^l  j 
and  this  paper  which  you  call  a  bill  is  in  Mr.  Harvey's 
harjdwntmg,  and  we  want  him  to  explain."  "Whvl ' 
«ud  the  man,  "I  didn't  steal  any  of  your  goods!  I 

^ed  r? from  Prescott,  and  Mf.  Shortly 
asted  me  to  be  good  enough  to  drop  in  and  oav  the 
money  to  Mr  Harvey.   I  had  not  eJen  I^Tr  Z 

to  oav  17  S^^i^T"^"  of  the  man  I  wa 

to  pay  ,t  to  I  offered  to  pay  the  money  to  this  young 
«an  here  (pomtmg  to  me),  "and  that  is  all  I  know 
about  ,t;  but  I  have  other  business  to  attend  to  and 

No,    aid  the  detective,  "though  I  bcUeve  your  story 
you  will  have  to  remain  here." 

wallS'^.-n'*'?''  '  slight  whistle  and  a  policeman 

walked  m  from  the  street.   Mr.  Latch  said  to  the 

itS:  J  r  u'.'  ""^  order?" 

A^.  Latch  baidy  had  time  to  get  to  the  front  of  the 


118 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


•ton  Mild  step  behind  a  large  pile  ofivooleni,  and  I  had 

just  taken  the  position  assigned  me,  when  Mr.  Harvey 
walked  in;  aa  he  was  passing  me  in  the  aisle,  I  said: 
"Mr.  Harvey,  you  are  wanted  in  the  office."   In  a 
noment  hit  color  changed  to  a  sickly  white,  and  his 
lips  began  to  twitch  with  extreme  nervoutncM;  hit 
whole  demeanor  underwent  a  marvelous  transforma- 
tion; his  face  was  usually  wreathed  in  a  kindly,  amiable 
smile,  but  now  it  expressed  uncontrollable  rage  and 
anger.   He  almost  hissed  the  words  out  from  between 
hif  :eeth  as  he  said,  "What's  that!"  "Mr.  Qayton 
wants  to  see  you,"  I  replied.   "What  does  he  want  to 
see  me  about?"   I  told  him  he  had  better  go  into  the 
office  and  see  Mr.  Clayton  himself,  for  I  was  simply  told 
to  send  him  in  as  soon  as  he  arrived.    He  thought  for  a 
moment,  then  growled  out:  "I  won't  go  inl"  and 
started  hurriedly  for  the  door.   "Oh,  yes  you  will, 
Mr.  Harvey!"  said  Mr.  Latch  as  he  stepped  out  into 
the  aisle.    Harvey  clenched  his  fists  and  in  a  frenzy  of 
rage  struck  out  at  Mr.  Latch,  trying  at  the  same  time 
with  his  left  hand  to  get  something  out  of  his  hip 
pocket.   But  Mr.  Latch  was  too  quick  for  him;  he 
guarded  off  ihe  blow,  seized  him  by  the  wrist,  and 
twisting  it  backwards,  had  Harvey  on  his  back  on  the 
floor  in  a  moment,  and  had  the  handcuffs  on  him.  Now 
a  perfectly  subdued  man.  Latch  made  him  get  up  and 
then  searched  him,  &iding  two  Ui^  Colt  revolvers 
in  his  hip  pockets  and  a  big  dirk  knife  <nside  his  vest. 
As  soon  as  Harvey  was  taken  into  the  o.V.  e  and  saw 
Mr.  Clayton,  the  man  from  Prescott,  and  the  police- 
man, he  reaUzed  the  game  was  up.   Mr.  Clayton  said, 
"Mr.  Harvey,  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  paper?" 


FIRST  BUSINESS  EXPERIENCES  119 

ihowing  him  what  the  mui  called  the  IhII.  H;irvey 
never  replied,  but  sat  down  on  a  chair  and  buried  hit 
face  in  his  manacled  hands,  and  cried  like  a  child;  after 
a  Aon  time  he  pulled  himself  together,  and  made  a 
com^e  breast  of  it  all,  and  begged  for  mercy.  He 
admitted,  in  hu  confesaion,  that  he  had  been  robbing 
the  firm  for  some  time,  and  had  worked  absolutely 
alone,  having  had  no  confederates  in  the  business  He 
•aid  that  as  Mr.  Clayton  had  appointed  him  shipping 
clerk  dunng  the  busy  season,  he  had  the  power  to  order 
goods  from  any  of  the  departments,  and  when  they 
were  received  in  the  shipping  room,  he  ordered  them 
packed  an '  ent  them  to  his  own  home  where  he  dis- 
posed of  .       ;:o  business  friends  in  different  parts  of 
*em"***"^'  remitted  him  personally  for 

He  also  gave  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  pardet 
he  had  supplied  with  goods,  mentioning  "Shortly** 
(the  Prescott  merchant  who  had  sent  the  man  to  pay 
the  money)  in  particular,  staring  that  he  was  his 
largest  customer,  but  assured  Mr.  Clayton  that  the 
man  whom  Shortly  used  as  messenger  was  perfectly 
mnocent,  which  was  proved  afterwards. 

Mr.  Latch  at  once  took  out  warrants  for  Harvey, 
the  nun  who  brought  the  money,  and  all  connected 
with  the  robbery,  and  kept  the  wires  busy  until  all  were 
under  lock  and  key,-ShortIy  in  particular.  Then 
Latch  got  out  a  search-warrant,  and  he,  two  police- 
men,  and  myself,  accompanied  by  two  double  wagons, 
started  for  Harvey's  home,  where  we  recovered  over 
twenty  thousand  dollars  worth  of  goods;  and  when  the 
»ne«ha»ts  who  had  been  in  coUusion  with  Harvey 


i 


120 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


were  brought  to  trial,  goods  and  money  of  fully  an 
equal  amount  were  recovered  and  turned  over  to  the 
finn.  Of  course  the  man  who  had  acted  as  Shortly's 
agent  was  discharged  when  brought  to  trial;  but 
Harvey  and  his  confederates  were  kept  in  jail  for  over 
three  months.  It  took  all  this  time,  in  the  trials  of 
the  merchants,  and  forcing  them  to  make  restitution. 
On  account  of  the  great  help  Harvey  gave  the  detectives 
in  recovering  the  property  of  the  firm,  he  was  let  off 
with  a  light  sentence,  and  when  his  time  was  up,  he 
promised  Mr.  Clayton  he  would  lead  an  honest  life  in 
the  future,  started  off  for  the  West,  and  disappeared 
for  good. 

After  the  matter  was  all  wound  up  and  an  inven- 
tory of  stock  taken  the  firm  discovered  that  their  losses 
did  not  exceed  five  thousand  dollars,  but  it  was  worth 
more  than  five  thousand  dollars  to  the  employees  of 
the  establishment  to  have  the  thief  discovered  and 
have  the  embargo  of  suspicion  raised. 

When  the  excitement  died  down,  and  we  had  gotten 
back  to  normal  conditions,  Mr.  Clayton  sent  word 
desiring  my  presence  in  the  ofiice;  I  went  down  at 
once,  and  as  I  entered  the  door  I  saw  Mr.  Clayton,  Mr. 
Yardly  and  the  other  members  of  the  firm  in  consul- 
tation, and  was  about  to  retire  when  Mr.  Clayton  said, 
"Come  in,  Ariing,"  and  came  forward  and  shook 
me  by  the  hand  very  cordially  and  said  they  desired 
to  thank  me  for  the  part  I  had  taken  in  discovering 
the  perpetrators  of  the  robbery,  and  presented  me  with 
a  very  handsome  check,  saying  that  it  was  to  show 
their  appreciation  of  my  fidelity  to  the  interests  of  the 
firm. 


FIRST  BUSINESS  EXPERIENCES  1«1 

I  had  worked  hard  since  father's  failure,  for  I 
could  not  help  noticing  that  the  severest  economy  was 
being  practiced  in  our  home,  and  by  every  member  of 
the  family.    We  were  seeing  hard  times,  but  not  a 
single  complaint  escaped  the  lips  of  anyone,  from 
father  or  mother  down  to  the  youngest  child  who 
could  understand.   There  were  no  secrets  in  our  home; 
father,  mother,  and  the  older  members  of  the  family 
would  gather  together  in  the  sitting-room  every  even- 
ing, and  consult  with  each  other  as  to  our  plans  and 
prospects,  and  as  soon  as  we  arrived  at  what  we  con- 
sidered the  right  conclusion,  would  then  let  the  matter 
drop,  and  spend  the  balance  of  the  evening  in  playing 
and  singing. 

Every  one  was  an  optimist,  all  were  cheerful  and 
happy,  as  gloom  was  banished  from  our  family  circle 
after  we  had  recovered  from  the  first  shock  produced 
by  father's  failure,  and  our  altered  circumstances. 
But  still,  when  alone,  I  used  to  ponder  and  meditate, 
trymg  to  evolve  some  plan  by  which  I  could  make  a 
little  more  money  than  I  was  then  making,  to  help 
mother  and  Uft  some  of  the  anxiety  from  her  mind 
which  I  knew  was  crushing  her,  in  spite  of  her  outward 
cheerfulness.  Therefore,  when  this  unexpected  wind- 
fall, in  the  shape  of  a  hundred  dollar  check,  came  into 

"*^iiI"'"Xf'  ™^  *»™P^y         with  graritude 

to  Mr.  Clayton  and  the  members  of  the  firm  for  their 
kmdness,  and  to  God  for  having  put  it  into  their  hearts 
to  do  so. 


CHAPTER  XII 


A  RAILROAD  ACCIDENT 

I  ALWAYS  had  an  overwhelming  desire  to  travel  and 
see  a  bit  of  the  world,  but  had  never  been  away  from 
home  with  the  exception  of  the  trip  I  made  to  Quebec. 
Mother  was  well  aware  of  this  desire  on  my  part,  for 
she  was  my  confidant  in  everything.  A'i  the  summer 
holiday  season  approached,  mother  said  to  me  one  day, 
"Jack,  you  have  always  had  a  desire  to  visit  Boston 
and  Toronto,  for  you  have  told  me  so  many  times,  and 
as  you  are  going  to  have  the  first  two  weeks  in  July  for 
your  vacation,  I  think  you  ought  to  go  and  visit  those 
two  cities  which  you  have  talked  so  much  about.  Your 
expenses  can  easily  be  covered  by  taking  fifty  dollars 
out  of  the  one  hundred  you  so  generously  gave  me,  for 
I  think  the  trip  will  do  you  a  great  deal  of  good  both 
physically,  as  well  as  mentally.  You  have  been  closely 
confined  to  the  warehouse  for  the  past  three  years,  and 
you  certainly  ought  to  have  a  change. 

Father  also  urged  me  to  take  mother's  advice  and 
get  ready  at  once,  and  spend  my  vacation  in  the  way 
suggested;  so  I  decided  to  do  so,  purchased  my  ricket, 
and  secured  a  berth  in  the  sleeping-car  for  Boston,  for 
July  the  first,  and  when  the  day  arrived,  started 
on  what  I  considered  a  wonderful  journey.  I  was 
making  the  first  start  to  see  the  world,  which  I  had 
read  so  much  about,  for  I  was  a  voracious  reader  of 

122 


A  rahboad  accident  us 

book*,  reading  evefything  that  came  into  my  hands 
from  a  dime  novel  to  the  Bible.  Another  thing  which 
made  this  trip  interesting  to  me  was  that  I  was  just 
turning  eighteen,  and  I  had  always  had  it  in  mind  to 
launch  out  and  see  the  world  when  I  was  eighteen  years 
old. 

The  cars  were  pretty  well  crowded,  but  I  managed  to 

get  a  seat  with  a  young  girl  of  about  sixteen,  who  was 
returning  to  Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  to  spend  her 
vacation  at  home  with  her  father  and  mother.  We 
very  soon  became  acquainted,  and  after  giving  her  my 
card,  she  told  me  her  name  was  "  Ruth  Almy,"  that  she 
lived  at  Roxbury,  a  suburb  of  Boston,  that  her  father 
was  a  Boston  merchant  and  that  she  was  the  only  child. 
She  had  been  attending  school  at  the  La  Salle  Convent 
in  Montreal,  and  was  now  on  her  way  home  to  spend 
her  two  months'  vacation  with  her  father  and  mother. 
When  she  had  gotten  this  far,  the  trainman  put  bis 
head  into  the  car,  and  shouted  out:  "St.  Albans! 
Twenty  minutes  for  lunch!"    So  I  invited  Miss  Almy 
to  take  lunch  with  me;  she  accepted  my  invitation  at 
once,  and  we  surted  for  the  lunch-room  in  the  station. 
As  it  was  two  o'clock,  we  were  both  mighty  hungiy,  and 
as  the  lunch  was  good,  we  did  ample  justice  to  it. 
Both  Miss  Almy  and  myself  were  well  provided  with 
reading  matter,  and  had  intended  doing  a  lot  of  reading 
on  the  way  to  Boston,  but  we  were  enjoying  each 
other's  conversation  so  much,  we  never  looked  at  a 
book  or  paper,  and  spent  the  whole  day  chatting  and 
exchanging  experiences.    I  told  her  all  about  my  life 
in  Montreal,  especially  my  business  life  for  the  past 
three  years,  and  of  the  big  robbery  which  resulted  in, 


124 


THE  RIAKTNrr  OP  A  CANADIAN 


the  arrest  of  Harvey;  and,  .^fter  it  wai  all  over,  how 
handsomely  the  firm  had  treated  me. 

We  chatted  away,  not  thinking  of  time,  until  we 
noticed  it  had  become  quite  dark  and  we  were  bodi 
getting  very  hungry.  I  asked  the  brakeman,  when 
passing,  when  we  might  expect  to  reach  Manchester. 
"Why,"  he  said,  "we  are  now  three  hours  late,  and  it 
will  take  us  fully  another  hour  before  we  arrive  there,— 
at  the  rate  we  are  traveling." 

We  were  due  at  Manchester  at  seven  o'clock  for 
supper,  and  it  was  now  ten.    As  there  did  not  appear 
much  chance  for  supper,  Miss  Almy  said  she  had  some 
crullers  in  her  satchel,  and  if  I  would  like  some  she 
would  get  them  out.   We  soon  made  short  work  of  the 
crullers  and  when  we  had  finished  the  last  one,  I  sug- 
gested, as  it  was  nearly  eleven  o'clock,  and  knowing 
that  she  must  be  very  tired,  that  she  should  retire  to 
the  sleeping-car  and  have  a  good  rest.    She  said,  "I 
am  very  sorry  I  cannot  do  so,  but  all  the  berths  had 
been  sold  when  I  called  at  the  ofiice,  and  of  course 
I  could  not  get  one."   "My  dear  Miss  Almy,"  I  said, 
"I  am  so  sorry  I  did  not  know  this  before,  for  I  have  a 
ticket  for  a  berth  in  the  sleeper,  and  you  are  more  than 
welcome  to  it."   "You  are  very  kind,  Mr.  Arling,  but  I 
could  not  think  of  depriving  you  of  your  berth,  for 
you  need  sleep  as  much  as  I  do;  I  will  just  remain 
here,  roll  up  in  my  rug,  and  you  go  and  occupy  your 
berth."    But  at  last  I  succeeded  in  prevailing  upon  her 
to  accept  my  ticket,  and  called  the  porter  to  carry  her 
things  into  the  sleeper.    It  was  an  upper  berth,  just 
inside  the  door.   I  helped  her  across  the  platforms,  bid 
her  good  night,  and  returned  to  my  seat  in  the  coach. 


A  RAILROAO  ACCIDENT 


125 

nam  cine  to  a  sudden  stop.  *  *« 

tj^z^  t  id' 

my  way  as  wdl  as  I  could  J7h'vTA^?'^i  t""*""! 
the  bridL    Mv  K  "I*^*    "S^^  across 

B^ts.?"- = 

v™g  race  downvards  across  the  side  nf  .k 
turned  stove;  of  course  theieU,  „„« 'i";,*' 
«ummer,  but  she  was  quite  ronscio^    A  'V' 

» brctT^rr ™^  - 

«  ner  back  to  the  day  coach  and  laid  her  down  on 


126         THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


one  of  the  double  seats  which  the  passengers  had 
arranged  to  form  a  bed,  by  laying  the  two  cushioned 
seats  lengthwise;  then  some  of  the  ladies  who  had 
recovered  fnmi  tlidr  fright,  took  charge  of  her  and  woon 
brou^t  her  around. 

They  afterwards  told  me  that  Miss  Almy  was  not 
injured,  save  for  a  few  slight  bruises.  In  the  mean- 
time, I  had  returned  to  the  sleeper  and  recovered  her 
clothing  and  belongings  and  handed  them  to  the  ladies 
who  were  taking  care  of  her.  The  trainmen  had  formed 
a  screen  across  the  rear  end  of  the  car  by  nailing  up 
blankets  to  the  ceiling  of  the  coach  and  draping  them 
down  to  the  floor,  which  made  a  dressing-room  for  the 
ladies,  giving  them  all  possible  privacy  as  the  trainmen 
and  passengers  carried  them  in  one  at  a  time,  from  the 
upturned  sleeper.  Providentially,  no  one  was  killed, 
but  a  number  were  injured,  and  some  of  them  quite 
seriously.  Not  a  single  occupant  of  the  sleeping  coach 
escaped  without  being  badly  bruised,  or  suffering  with 
fractured  limbs,  and  all  had  received  such  a  nervous 
shock  that  time  alone  would  heal. 

Miss  Almy  soon  recovered  under  the  skillful,  sym- 
pathetic care  of  the  ladies.  When  they  had  removed 
all  the  dust  and  grime  from  her  face  and  arms,  they 
dressed  her  hair  in  a  very  becoming  style,  brushed  her 
clothes  thoroughly  and  dressed  her.  I  dien  took  her 
forward  to  one  of  the  front  coaches  so  as  to  make  room 
for  others  more  seriously  injured.  Her  face  was  as 
white  as  marble,  and  she  trembled  from  head  to  foot 
with  nervousness,  but  strange  to  say,  never  shed  a 
single  tear.  She  held  on  to  my  arm  widi  a  nervous, 
tight  grasp,  for  fear  I  would  leave  her,  but  I  could  not 


A  SAHBOAD  accident  if7 

tether  to  n)etk  a  iingle  word,  nor  answer  a  question.  I 
procured  a  couple  of  pillows,  and  with  he?  rug,  made 
her  as  comfortable  as  possible,  and  sat  down  b^de  her 
until  the  rehef  train  arrived.   I  almost  hadTcan^ 

for  u  *         *»«^«»»  and  placed  them  in  the  racl^ 

I  was  in  a  terrible  state  of  anxiety  about  her.  and 
v^ted  to  get  one  of  the  ladies  to  come  and  sit  by  her 
and  comfort  her;  but  as  soon  as  I  explained  this  to  her, 
and  attempted  to  move  and  put  it  into  effect,  she 
grasped  my  arm  aU  the  tighter  but  would  not  spelk  or 
put  her  protest  mto  words. 

in«]S*?w\''^''^  """"^^^       Manchester,  I 

Tnd  \  "^p^urant  and  procure  some  hot  tea 
and  sandwiches.  After  partaking  of  this  slight  refresh- 
ment,  the  wild  haunted  look  left  her  fa«  and  she 
became  more  calm. 

nfllllJ train  again  started  for  Boston,  I  fixed  her 
l^T  »"*^/»^^«f^  try  and  go  to  sleep;  that  I 

at  last  fell  mto  a  deep  sleep,  and  never  awoke  until  I 
roused  her  as  we  were  nearing  the  station.    She  had 

my  arms  from  the  sleeping  car. 

Dlatfnnl.  ^^^^  ^ '  ""P'  °f  to  the 

platform,  her  eyes  kept  wandering  over  the  faces  of  the 

crowds  and  looked  like  the  eyes  of  a  frightened  faw^^ 

^e  i^^n-n?  hall* 
some,  dignified-Iooking  gentleman.   She  dropped  my 


138 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


I 


arm  in  a  moment  and  ran  forward  and  almost  sprang 
into  his  arms,  and  as  he  held  her,  with  her  head  resting 
on  his  shoulder,  the  reaction  set  in  and  she  sobbed  and 
cried  as  though  her  heart  would  break.  The  menul 
■train  had  relaxed  and  she  had  found  a  haven  of  rest 
in  her  father's  arms. 

Mr.  Almy  looked  astonished  and  bewildered,  not 
knowing  what  to  make  of  his  daughter's  agitation.  I 
said,  "Mr.  Almy,  for  I  presume  I  am  addressing  Miss 
Almy's  father,  we  have  passed  through  a  railroad  wreck 
and  your  daughter's  nerves  are  thoroughly  unstrung, 
but  in  a  short  time,  when  she  composes  herself,  she 
will  tell  you  all."  "My  dear  daughter's  hysterical 
condition  certainly  frightened  me,"  he  replied,  "and  I 
am  greatly  obliged  to  you  for  this  explanation;  but  I 
would  not  like  to  take  my  daughter  home  until  she 
becomes  more  composed,  for  her  mother  is  not  very 
strong  and  it  might  have  a  bad  effect  on  her,  so  we  will 
just  drive  up  to  the  Parker  House,  and  if  you  would  be 
good  enough,  I  should  esteem  it  a  favor  if  you  will 
accompany  us,  and  we  can  have  a  little  chat  together, 
and  you  and  Ruth  can  tell  me  all  about  your  adventure 
on  the  train." 

Just  before  we  entered  the  carriage,  the  conductor 
of  the  wrecked  train  came  along.  Mr.  Almy  knew  him 
very  well,  and  in  a  few  words  he  told  Mr.  Almy  of  the 
wreck  and  the  part  I  had  played  in  looking  after  his 
daughter  until  we  arrived  at  Boston,  and  had  been  so 
solicitous  for  her  welfare,  that  everybody  on  the  train 
thought  we  were  brother  and  sister.  After  this  expla- 
nation, Mr.  Almy's  face  just  beamed  with  happiness; 
he  grasped  my  hand  and  shook  it  warmly  and  thanked 


A  RAILROAD  ACCIDENT  m 

me  over  and  over  again  for  my  kindness  and  attention 
to  nis  daughter. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  hotel,  Mr.  Almy  engaged  a 
mj^^room.and  a  Udroom;  he  also  secuS  the 
^rvice.  of  a  nuid  and  sent  her  to  the  bedroom  with 

into  the  sitting-room  and  sat  down  on  the  sofa  along- 
side of  her  father;  her  face  was  wreathed  in  smile. 

Mr  A,  ^1T'^."8"'"•  "Now,  Ruth,  dear,"  said 
Mr.  Almy  "tell  father  all  about  it."  Ruth  began  by 
telhng  her  father  that  the  train  was  crowded  on  leaving 

that  I  had  kmdly  taken  her  out  to  lunch  at  St.  Albans, 
as  she  was  afraid  to  go  alone,  and  had  intended  to  just 
eat  some  of  the  crullers  she  had  brought  with  her,  but 
M  she  was  hungry  she  was  glad  to  accept  my  invi- 
Ution  and  we  had  a  good  lunch.   We  chatted  and 
exchanged  wenences  on  Montreal  life,  until  it  be- 
came  quite  late.    When  I  asked  the  trainman  whi 
time  he  thought  we  would  reach  Manchester  for  supper 
Ae  tnunman  rephed  that  the  train  was  three  hours 
fate,  and  going  further  behind  all  the  time.   As  we 
were  both  hungry  she  took  the  crullers  out  of  her 
satchel  an^  v  c  had  made  a  supper  off  of  them;  then 
LI  "'^'^  ^^hance  of  get- 

A?h,!?K^'  T'.  ^"^y  -easonable  time,  that 
•he  had  better  go  back  into  the  sleeping  car  and  have  a 

STt  Uad  be"*'  M X 
that  I  had  been  unable  to  secure  a  ticket  for  a  berth  in 

th  sleeper,  as  It  had  been  all  sold  out  when  I  ap^^^ 
It  was  nothing  for  him  to  stretch  out  on  a  car  s^ t  for 


mi 


180         THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

once.  He  was  so  persistent,  and  the  offer  made  in  'ch 
a  generous  way,  that  I  could  not  refu«c  any  longer  .id 
accepted  the  ticket,  Mr.  Ariing  calied  the  porter  and  he 
took  all  my  traps.  Biddii«  giaad  night  to  Mr.  Arlmg,  I 
went  into  the  sleeper,  took  possession  of  the  berth, 
which  was  the  first  horn  the  door,  and  very  soon  wu 
fast  asleep 

"I  do  .  t  remember  any  more  until  I  found  myself 
in  the  hands  of  some  Ldies  who  were  very  kind  an  1 
helped  me  dress  and  arrange  my  hair;  then  I  dis- 
covered for  the  first  time  tl»t  I  WM  in  die  day  ''oach 
and  th.  t  I  had  been  unconscious  for  some  time,  and 
that  Mr.  Ariing  and  the  conductor  had  cjrrie '  ne 
from  the  sleeping  car  and  put  me  in  the  banc  s  oi  t  le 
ladies,  who  were  taking  such  good  care  of  me  I  was 
•so  fri^tened  and  unstrung,  I  am  afraid  I  m  r  ha  e 
acted  very  strangely,  but  when  we  re  iche  ^  Manch  sr  - 
on  the  relief  train,  and  after  drinking  a  cuj.'  of  tea,  ad 
eating  a  sandwich  which  Mr.  ArUng  procured  f  me, 
I  fell  asleep  and  did  not  wake  until  he  ai  Jed 
me,  on  reaching  the  suburbs  of  Boston.  I  an  sure  if 
it  had  not  been  for  Mr.  Ariing  I  c^m^afy  woiaU  have 
died." 

When  Ruth  had  finishef^  ^er  siu  r  e  wre  -  to 
her  father,  Mr.  Almy  was  c  mple»  v  Woker  md 
could  not  speak  for  a  ^le;  m  m  3  4ort  x  %  !  9ed 
himself  together  with  an  effort,  and  aid,  "I..  Ariing, 
the  providential  escape  from  severe  inji  ,  nd  p' 
sibly  death,  which  my  de:  r  daughter  as  ust  i 
scribed  in  your  hearing,  has  i  'most  unnerved  me;  bu^ 
I  will  say  this  much,  that  as  1  )ng  as  I  live  I  will  never 
forget  your  kindly  care  of      dau#iter.  She  is  my^ 


A  Railroad  .vccidsnt  m 

,  J?  'I™'''  '^'■"J''  >""" »«  W^i"*  me  too  much 
^"  for  .h.  par.    played  i„  ,he  e^I^..  f„  ?5S 

"at  any  gentleman  would  have  dor  <  under  the 
•«;«t«nc.^  and  would  he  gUd  ,„  do."  ** 

re  '^,">":  '  Mr.  Almy,  "but  you 

gentleman  that  Jio  it   What  I  wi,,  ,0  know 

n      ^p„  cularsdowntothe.malle.tdeoul,oryour 
^  «  ,,    upturned  deeper  y,„ 

here^  rIIS!  ^''5  """^  "  '  ""^ 

h!r!:if     J  *>*i  not  heard  aU  the  detail. 

Ae  ome  I  was  engaged  giving  the  detaik  to  Jfe 
^  WW  ''f"''  ^  -^o™""  eyes  nev.; 

oHm,^,-    u  "-'«'•         I  took,  com- 

pbrn^ong  her  on  her  rapid  recoveo^.   She  said.  -iS. 
^  I  was  not  able  to  speak  and  thank  you  for  ycm 
iWit  md  never-to-be-forgotten  kindness  ,0  me  I 

nervousne"  and 

S  that  K       ^'""'f'  '  f"  I  "^ly 

Mm  TOuId  have  survived  the  shock."  I  said,  "Miss 
«l»ut  It,  and.  rf  poerf,]^  drive  it  out  of  our  thoughts 


182 


THE  liAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


and  think  of  something  more  pleasant.   It  was  cei^ 

tainly  a  painful  episode  which  crept  into  our  lives,  but 
we  had  better  banish  it  from  our  minds  altogether." 

I  was  grateful  to  Mr.  Almy  for  changing  the  subject 
by  saying  he  thought  we  had  better  drive  out  to  Rox- 
buiy  as  Mrs.  Almy  would  be  getting  anxious  about 
.  them.  He  then  ordered  the  carriage,  and  insisted 
that  I  should  drive  out  to  Roxbury  with  them,  as 
Ruth's  mother  would  certainly  be  anxious  to  c-c  me. 
I  tried  very  hard  to  excuse  myself  from  accepting  his 
kind  invitation,  but  neither  he  nor  Ruth  would  take 
"no"  for  an  answer,  but  overruled  all  my  excuses  and 
objections. 

It  was  a  beautiful  day,  and  the  drive  to  Roxbury 
was  delightful.  On  our  arrival  at  the  Almy  residence, 
and  the  cause  of  the  delay  explained  to  Mrs.  Almy,  she 
gave  me  a  very  cordial  welcome  and  very  warmly 
seconded  Mr.  Almy's  kind  invitation  to  make  dieir 
house  my  home  during  my  stay  in  Boston.  I  could 
not  refuse  to  comply  with  their  request,  as  it  was  given 
in  such  a  kindly  way.  I  remained  a^  their  guest  for 
four  days.  I  never  in  all  my  life  was  treated  with  such 
wholehearted  hospitality  as  was  meted  out  to  me  by 
these  good  people,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present, 
they  have  been  numbered  among  my  dearest  friends. 

Mr.  Almy  was  a  man  of  forty  or  forty-five,  and  was 
in  the  prime  of  life.  Mrs.  Almy  was  not  in  very  good 
health  and  could  not  go  out  with  us  as  often  as  she 
would  like  to  have  d<me,  but  Mr.  Almy  and  Ruth  drove 
me  to  every  point  of  interest  in  the  city  and  we  visited 
so  many  places  that  Mr.  Almy  said  he  had  been  Hving 
in  Boston  for  over  thirty  years,  but  never  had  the 


A  RAILROAD  ACCIDENT 


m 

saw  "Z^Z^A^  "^Tl^  ""^^  ^'^^^^''^  ^th  all  that  I 
-;i;r^^^^^^^  lined  with^ 

into  the  country  over  wellw^oT^  ^'^^^^'j'^' 

•uburban  towns  and  vTlt^^.   ^  ' 

leges,  schoSr^nH  K  clubhouses,  col- 

W^ton«  T  that 
ooston  as  I  never  expected  to  t^t^  .V    t  j 

to  see  what  I  could  of  it  •       \  J  ^''P^"^'! 


184 


THE  IfAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


for  I  told  ycu  what  I  thought  of  your  kindness  to  her 
before,  but  for  giving  me  a  fine  outing  for  if  you  had 
not  been  living  with  us  I  would  not  have  had  it.  We 
will  always  be  glad  to  have  you  call  on  us;  you  will 
always  find  the  latchstring  on  the  outside  of  the  door 
and  a  sincere  and  hearty  welcome  on  the  inside." 

The  next  morning,  Mr.  Almy,  his  wife  and  Ruth  ac- 
companied me  to  the  station  to  see  me  and  made  me 
promise  to  write  them  frequently.  So  I  left  this  dear 
family,  waving  their  handkerchiefs;  Mr.  Almy  and 
Ruth  running  alongside  the  train  opposite  the  window 
of  my  coach,  until  the  train  gained  momentum  and 
left  them  bdiind.  And  t  was  on  my  way  to  Toronto. 


\ 


chapter  xiu 
Visit  to  Toronto 

at  Toronto,  the  first  one  I  met  on  the 
gadform  of  the  sution  was  Chris,  my  eldest  brother. 

thou^  he  was  a  big  strapping  fellow  of  twenty-two 
put  h,s  arms  around  my  neck  and  kissed  me  on  both 
cheeks  just  as  he  used  to  do  when  I  was  a  smaU  boy. 
I  did  not  need  to  ask  him  if  he  was  glad  to  see  me,  for 

LT^  r  "     ^"^"'^  and  we  were 

both  as  happy  as  ,t  was  possible  for  us  to  be,  meeting 
again  after  so  long  a  separation. 

We  drove  up  to  uncle's  house  and  taw  Aunt  Rebekah 
standing  on  the  veranda  waiting  for  us,  and  she  gave 
me  a  loyal  welcome.  When  we  were  seated  in  the 
^nmg^m,  I  had  to  teU  them,  in  answer  to  their  many 

n  trV'^'Tl^'"^,'?*'*  ^^^"^  Montreal 
from  the  time  Chns  left;  espedaUy  aU  about  the  rob^ 

r3  "       warehouse,  my  trip  to  Boston,  the  rail- 
road wreck  and  Its  happy  ending,  the  wonderful  rime 
I  had  at  Roxbury  as  the  guest  of  the  Almy  family,  and 
he  many  beaujful  drives  they  gave  me  in  showing  me 
the  beauties  of  Boston  and  its  suburbs  and  then  capping 
the  chmax  of  my  enjoyment  by  giving  me  that  never-tt^ 
be^orgotten  sail  on  the  luxurious  yacht,  which  Mr. 
Ahny.  fnend  put  at  his  disposal,  so  that  I  could  see 
the  gmt  harbor,  the  shipping,  and  sail  in  and  out  of 

US 


186 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


all  the  islands.  "Why,"  said  aunty,  "your  meeting 
with  Rudi  was  quite  a  romance,  what  a  lovely  time 
they  did  give  you!" 

I  had  a  fine  time  at  Toronto  during  my  short  stay 
of  six  days.  Chris  took  me  round  and  introduced  me 
to  all  his  friends  and  acquaintances,  and  they  all  did 
that  best  to  make  me  enjoy  myself;  one  young  lady, 
specially,  to  whom  Chris  was  pa3ring  marked  atten- 
tion, and  from  what  I  could  see,  was  going  to  end  in 
their  marriage,  took  me  under  her  wing  at  once.  She 
made  out  a  programme,  covering  the  whole  of  the  six 
days  of  my  suy  at  Toronto.  Every  day  was  taken  up 
with  boating  parties,  drives,  rides  and  entertainmoits 
of  all  kinds,  so  that  I  never  knew  what  it  was  to  have  a 
lonely  moment  all  the  time  I  was  in  Toronto.  She 
was  a  migh  /  fine,  handsome  girl  of  about  twenty-two 
summers,  and  her  name  was  "Susie  Ralston."  I  was 
with  her  neariy  all  the  time  of  my  stay  in  the  city,  for 
Chris  was  engaged  at  the  warehouse  every  moment 
during  business  hours.  Mr.  Alfred  Durand,  my 
uncle,  did  not  believe  that  any  one  in  his  employ  should 
ever  allow  it  to  enter  his  mind  to  remain  away  from 
business  for  any  reason  whatever,  with  the  exception 
of  severe  sickness,  and  then  it  had  to  be  mighty  severe, 
or  death.  So,  Chris  could  not  be  with  me  for  one 
single  day  during  business  hours,  much  to  his  sorrow— 
and  mine. 

Susie  Ralston  saw  that  I  was  not  left  alone;  she 
was  very  fond  of  Chris  and  thought  that  she  could  not 
show  it  in  any  better  way  than  by  making  me  happy, 
and  she  certainly  did.  Susie  was  very  fond  of  boating 
and  so  was  I.   We  used  to  go  down  to  one  of  the  boat- 


VISIT  TO  TORONTO  137 

houses,  which  almost  lined  the  shores  of  Toronto  Bay 
evejK  fine  morning  would  find  us  there.    I  would  hire  a 
.kiff,  SuMe  ^uld  sit  in  the  stem  of  the  boat  and  handle 
the  tiller,  and  I  would  uke  off  my  coat,  roll  up  my  shirt 
sleeves  and  do  the  rowing.   My,  what  lovely  timiy 
we  had  skimmmg  over  the  pladd  waters  of  Toronto 
Way!   Whenever  we  saw  a  big  steamer  heading  for  m, 
chunung  up  the  water  and  turning  it  into  white  foam 
with  her  «de  paddles,  leaving  in  her  wake  large  rolling 
waves  which  extended  sometimes  all  the  distance  b«J 
tween  the  steamer  and  the  shores  of  the  isbnd,  over  a 
mile  away,  we  would  allow  her  to  pass  us  as  close  as 
possible,  heading  our  skiflP  for  the  waves,  and  plunge 
nght  mto  the  rollers,  rising  and  falling  with  them  as 
long  as  they  lasted. 

At  other  times,  I  would  hire  a  saddle  horse  and  ride 
up  to  her  home  where  I  would  find  her  waiting,  dressed 
in  her  nding  habit,  high  silk  hat  with  long  streaming 
veil,  which  was  very  becoming  to  her,  and,  when 
nwunted  on  her  dark  bay  horse,  she  made  a  most  beau- 
tiful  picture.  We  would  then  start  for  some  of  the 
lovely  country  roads,  cantering  our  horses  side  by  side 
through  woods  and  dells,  over  hills,  and  down  through 
beauuful  valleys;  the  horses,  as  well  as  ourselves,  «- 
joyuig  every  moment  spent  on  these  lovely  rides 

Susie  was  four  years  older  than  I;  we  had  become 
great  chums,  and  I  was  very  fond  of  her  as  my  future 
sister-in-law.  She  promised  to  write  every  week  after 
1  returned  to  Montreal,  and  send  me  all  the  Toronto 
news.  I  was  glad  of  this  for  Chris  was  a  poor  letter 
writer  and  wrote  only  short  notes  usually,  simply 
tellmg  me  he  was  aU  right,  and  eveiything  was  going 


U8        THB  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

fine,  muting  that  his  letter  would  find  us  all  well,  and 
that  he  expected  to  make  arrangements  to  visit  Mon- 
treal before  very  long,  and  therefore  would  bottle  up 
all  news  until  he  arrived,  and  left  us  to  guesi  the  test. 

My  vacation  was  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close,  and 
the  two  weeks  had  passed  so  pleasantly  that  the  end 
arrived  almost  before  I  expected  it  and  found  that  to 
reach  Montreal  on  rime  I  would  have  to  take  the 
steamer  the  next  day  (Friday)  at  two  o'clock,  if  I 
wanted  to  be  on  hand  for  business  Monday  morning. 

Quite  a  large  party  of  young  men  and  women,  Chris 
and  Susie  included,  came  down  to  the  Yonge  Street 
wharf  to  bid  me  farewell.  I  got  on  board  the  steamer 
"Banshee"  and  stood  on  the  upper  deck,  at  die  stem 
end  of  the  steamer,  waving  my  hat  and  saying  goodbye 
to  as  fine  a  lot  of  girls  and  boys  as  I  ever  met,  and  they 
kept  waving  their  hats  and  handkerchiefs  and  shouring 
their  farewells  until  I  was  out  of  hearing  distance,  but 
watched  them  until  the  steamer  passed  through  the 
lower  gap,  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  island,  and  they 
were  lost   /  view. 

We  steamed  across  Lake  Ontario,  taking  all  the  after- 
noon, and  until  three  o'clock  Saturday  morning  before 
we  reached  Kingston,  and  at  five  o'clock  started  again 
winding  our  way  through  the  Thousand  Islands,  reach- 
ing Prescott  at  ten.  The  day  was  beautiful,  and  all  the 
way  through  the  Thousand  Islands  was  a  delight  to  me. 
I  sat  in  a  wicker  chair  under  an  awning  at  the  stern  end 
of  the  boat,  watching  the  islands,  some  of  them  so 
small  there  was  only  room  to  hold  one  tree;  others 
were  large  enough  to  accommodate  quite  a  laige  grove 
of  trees,  and  a  good-«ized  camping  party  where  they 


W  ;  TO  TORONTO  mq 

were  rusticating  for  the  summer  montht,  Kvin?  under 
canvas;  nearly  all  had  flagpoles  mounted  in  front  of 
tl^mam  tent,  with  the  Union  Jack  flying  at  the  nmt- 

Other  islands  you  cc  -  /  .eU  were  occupied  by 
Amencans.  for  Old  Glory  ^  .  .^aving  in  the  breeze  at 
the  top  ot  their  flagpoles.  But  all  seemed  to  be  having 
a  good  time  and  living  together  as  the  very  best  of 
fn«ds,  and  m  a  great  many  instances  sharing  with 
each  other,  and  having  aU  things  in  common.  I  had  a 
hne  time  lookmg  at  them;  some  were  fishing,  others 
shooting,  playing  tennis,  croquet,  and  others  blling  in 
their  hammocks  reading. 

It  certainly  looked  to  me  like  a  fairy  Iand,-and 
this  was  their  abode,  for  it  was  indeed  an  ideal  spot, 
and  a  ventable  home  of  the  fairies. 

On  leaving  Prescott,  we  entered  on  the  last  lap  of 
the  journey  and   passed  through  the   Cedar  and 
Long  Sioux  Rapids,  wkh  our  own  pilot,  but  when  we 
amved  opposite  Lachine,  the  steamer  stopped  and  a 
canoe  darted  out  from  the  Indian  village  of  Cognowaga. 
a  rope  was  thrown  out  and  the  Indian  at  the  bow  of  the 
canoe  caught  it  and  they  were  drawn  alongside  of  the 
steamer.   In  the  stem  of  the  canoe  sat  the  most  pic- 
ttimque  figure  of  an  Indian  I  ever  saw.   He  was  the 
chief  of  the  tnbe,  and  the  only  man  aUowed  to  pilot  the 
lake  steamers  through  the  dangerous  channel,  which  we 
were  about  to  enter,  as  we  passed  through  the  Uchine 
Kapids.    He  chmbed  up  the  rope  ladder  on  ro  the 
"earner,  and  without  paying  attention  to  any  one, 
^ed  straight  to  the  wheelhouse  and  took  command. 
Wo  one  was  allowed  ro  speak  to  him.   He  at  once 


140 


THE  BfAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


grasped  the  handles  of  the  wheel,  standing  perfectly 
erect;  hit  black,  piercing  eyes  looking  straight  ahead, 
and  guided  die  steamer  direct  (or  die  dhanntl.  As 
soon  as  we  entered  it,  all  steam  was  shut  off,  and  we 
darted  through  the  channel  at  a  terrific  rate,  twisting 
in  and  out  through  the  great  rocks  which  could  be 
plainly  seen  on  each  side  of  the  boat,  and  some  of  them 
only  a  few  feet  from  the  side  of  the  steamer  with  their 
jagged  edges  reaching  almost  to  the  surface  of  the 
waters,  which  were  seething,  and  lashed  into  wtiitt  foam 
all  around  us.  The  nine  miles  of  rapids  were  soon  cov- 
ered for  we  passed  through  at  a  terrific  pace  and  ran 
into  calm  water;  then  we  passed  under  Victoria  Bridge 
and  landed  at  our  dock  at  Montreal.  We  were  diarp 
on  rime,  for  we  ried  up  at  the  dock  exacdy  at  six  o'(^)ck 
in  the  evening. 

The  whole  family  were  standing  on  the  wharf, 
wairing  to  greet  me  as  soon  as  I  walked  down  the  gang- 
plank. They  were  all  so  glad  to  tee  me  they  could 
hardly  find  words  to  express  themselves,  but  every  one 
of  them  kissed  me  from  father  and  mother  down  to  the 
youngest  member  of  the  family.  All  joined  in  telling  me 
how  delighted  they  were  to  have  me  home  again  both 
safe  and  sound,  and  k)oked  at  me  widi  wondering  eyes 
to  see  if  it  was  really  I,  as  if  I  had  acconiplished  some 
wonderf.''  feat,  and  gave  me  credit  for  having  the  same 
amount  of  nerve  and  heroism  that  is  usually  accorded 
to  a  returning  explorer  from  the  Arcric  r^ons,  or 
equatorial  Afkka. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


RIOTS  AND  PREPAREDNESS 

'Military  ichools  had  now  been  esublished  by  the 
Government  in  several  of  the  largest  cities  in  Canada. 
A  large  number  of  army  officers  had  been  sent  out  by 
Great  Bntam  to  take  charge  of  these  military  institu- 
tions.  The  Canadian  Parliament  made  large  appro- 
pnationt  of  money  to  equip  these  schools  or  colleges 
and  cover  aU  running  expenMt  to  that  the  young  men 
of  Canada  would  be  able  to  receive  a  thorough  military 
trammg,  free  of  charge.  These  colleges  were  for  the 
purpose  of  training  the  young  men  of  Canada  and 
fitting  them  for  officers  in  the  militia. 

A  bill  had  been  passed  in  Parliament  to  veiy  largely 
increase  the  militia  and  to  do  so  several  hundred 
officers  were  needed  as  soon  as  they  could  be  whipped 
mto  shape,  both  for  active  service  and  reserves.  The 
Canadian  Government  advertised  in  the  daily  papers 
and  by  orculars,  inviting  all  young  men  who  were  able 
to  pass  the  necessary  examinations,  to  enroll  at  once  by 
filling  out  the  blanks  which  were  enclosed  with  the 
circulars,  and  these  circulars  went  into  all  particulars, 
givmg  them  every  information  as  to  the  nect'  and' 
requirements  of  the  Canadian  authorities. 

The  Government  also  requested  tiiat  all  employers 
of  young  men  of  miUtaiy  age»  who  desiied  to  enroll,  be 

141 


m        THE  WJOSQ  OF  A  CANADIAN 

allowed  to  do  so  without  jeopardizing  their  position! 
and  promising  to  reinstate  any  of  their  employees  who 
enrolled,  to  the  position  they  formerly  occupied,  as  soon 
as  their  terms  of  service  had  expired. 

The  policy  of  military  preparedness  adopted  by 
the  Government  became  very  popular  with  the  better 
educated  classes  of  the  population  of  all  the  large  cities, 
and  as  the  young  men  of  the  cities  and  large  towns 
joined  the  colors  the  young  men  of  the  more  intelligent 
farming  class  of  the  community  began  flocking  into  the 
cities  where  military  schools  had  been  esublished,  and 
enrolled  with  their  city  cousins. 

Extensive  riots  had  taken  place  in  many  of  the  Urge 
cities  in  Lower  Canada,  brought  about  by  prejudice^ 
bigotry  and  religious  intolerance,  which  kept  smoulder- 
ing all  the  time,  but  occasionally  would  be  fanned 
into  a  flame  by  some  religious  fanatic  or  bigoted  dis- 
turber of  the  peace. 

The  French-Canadians,  of  course,  were  all  Roman 
Catholics.  They  were  a  quiet,  industrious,  and  peace- 
ful people — if  let  alone,  but  these  demagogues  who 
were  the  instigators  of  all  trouble  would  hold  secret 
niMtinp  in  bams,  and  sometimes  churches,  and  would 
harangue  crowds  of  the  laboring  class  of  the  French- 
Canadians  and  Habitants  of  the  country  districts  by 
the  hour,  telling  them  they  were  being  exploited  by  the 
Government  and  civic  authorities,  forcing  them  to  pay 
heavy  taxes  to  help  the  Protestants  to  live  in  luxury 
and  idleness. 

Another  element  of  unrest  at  that  rime  m  Montreal 
was  the  uneducated  Irish  Roman  Catholic  laboring 
class.   Some  of  the  young  men  were  lazy  and  would 


RIOTS  AND  PREPAREDNESS  148 

not  work,  but  hung  arotimi  the  talc  ont  drinkiiig  vOe 
whiskey  and  listening  to  the  vaponngs  of  these  self- 
appointed  leaders  of  advanced  thought,  of  tibernr,  at 
they  called  it. 

They  had  formed  quite  a  community  called  "Little 
Ireland,"  or,  as  it  was  better  known  by  Montreal  res- 
idents, "Griffintown."  The  younger  members  of  this 
community,  more  especially  the  hoodlums,  above  men- 
tioned, were  alway*  ready  for  a  scrap. 

The  Irish  had  taken  umbrage  at  a  speech  made  in 
Parhament  by  one  of  their  co^Iigionists  and  an  Irish- 
man, the  Hon.  Thomas  Darcy  McGee,  an  outspoken, 
honest,  fearless  gentleman,  as  well  as  the  greatest 
orator  of  his  day  in  Canada. 

•  I\l  Orangemen  of  Upper  Canada  sympathized 
with  Mr.  McGee  and  were  heartily  in  accord  with  his 
views,  and  were  prepared  to  back  him  up  in  his  fight 
for  what  he  considered  the  right,  and  decided  that  if 
necessary,  train  loads  of  Orangemen  from  Upper  Can- 
ada were  prepared  to  come  to  Montreal  and  fight  to 
the  death  to  protect  him  from  harm,  for  the  Irish  Cath- 
olics had  fwom  that  if  ever  the  Hon.  Thomas  Darcy 
McGee  attempted  to  make  a  speech  in  Montreal  they 
would  kill  him.    But  Mr.  McGee  was  not  easily  fright- 
ened, and  sent  word  he  would  be  in  Montreal  on  a  cer- 
tain day  and  would  address  the  electors  from  the  front 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  Hall. 

His  friends  and  admirers  all  tried  to  persuade  him 
from  going  to  Montreal,  being  afraid  of  vlie  terrible 
nsk  he  was  running;  but  he  persisted  and  said  he  was 
going,  and  also  going  to  make  them  listen  to  him,  and 
when  they  heard  him  themselves  and  heard  what  he 


144 


TOE  MAKING  OP  A  CANAmAN 


had  to  say,  he  was  positively  assured  in  hit  own  mind 
diat  aH  oppontkm  would  cease.  And  it  did*  aa  they 
subsequendy  found  out. 

A  large  body  of  young  men,  consisting  of  lacrocse, 

cricket,  snowshoe  runners,  and,  in  fact,  officers  and 
members  of  all  the  prominent  athletic  and  sporting 
clubs  of  the  city,  offered  their  services,  not  only  as  indi- 
viduals but  as  dubs,  to  act  as  a  bodygraid  to  escort 
Mr.  McGee  on  his  arrival  at  Montreal  from  the  Grand 
Trunk  station,  which  was  then  situated  at  Point  St. 
Charles,  to  the  St.  Lawrence  Hall.  And  to  do  so,  the 
procession  would  have  to  pass  through  the  principal 
streets  of  Griffintown,  where  the  residoits  were  in- 
tagonistic  to  him. 

On  the  day  of  his  ari^val  the  clubs  assembled,  dressed 
in  their  various  uniforms,  and  marched  in  a  body  out 
to  Point  St.  Charles.  As  I  happened  to  be  a  captain 
of  one  the  lacrosse  dubs,  I  of  course  walked  at  the 
bead  of  my  moi  carrying  our  lacroMe  sticks  ov%r  our 
dioulders  like  rifles;  as  the  lacrosse  clubs  were  the  most 
numerous,  they  were  given  the  honor  of  beading  the 
procession. 

Every  single  club  presented  a  fine  appearance  and 
marched  like  veterans,  and  a  finer  body  of  clean-cut, 
stalwart,  able-bodied  young  men  would  be  hard  to  find 
anywhere,  as  assembled  that  day  to  escort  the  Hon. 
Thomas  Darcy  McGee  from  the  Point  St.  Charles 
station  through  the  very  heart  of  Griffintown,  the  home 
of  the  enemies,  to  the  St.  Lawroice  HaO. 

Every  one  of  us  expected  to  have  a  few  scraps  on  the 
way  out,  but  Irishmen  as  a  class  are  fond  of  grit,  and 
appreciate  it  even  in  an  taemy,  so  inttead  of  mttxing 


RIOTS  AND  PREPABEDNESS  145 

with  opposition  on  the  way  >ut  to  the  Grand  Tnmk 
station,  the  inhabitants  of  Griffintown,  both  men  and 
women,  seemed  to  admire  us  or  our  nerve,  and  did  not 
•BOW  any  hostility  with  the  exception  of  a  few  who 
jeered  us  and  threw  a  few  stoeei,  but  this  was  done  by  a 
few  half-drunken  rowdies,  whoM  cffbrti  to  make  trouble 
were  frowned  on  by  the  great  mass  of  onlookers. 

When  the  train  arrived  at  Point  St.  Charles,  and 
Mn  McGee  stepped  down  on  to  the  station  platform 
hif  private  car,  he  met  with  a  rousing  reception. 
He  attempted  to  say  a  few  words  to  the  reception  a>»- 
mittee,  but  cheer  after  cheer  rent  the  air,  and  it  was  a 
long  time  before  the  wild  tumult  of  applause  died  down 
so  that  his  voice  could  be  heard.    But  as  soon  as  silence 
waa  obtained,  he  said:  "Gentlemen  of  the  committee, 
I  am  mdeed  grateful  to  you  and  this  splendid  body  of 
young  men  for  taking  such  a  deep  interest  in  my  efforts 
to  promote  a  kindlier  feeling  between  all  clats^js  and 
t^t^ds  ,n  our  beloved  country.    The  very  first  essential 
need.     the  ground  work  on  which  we  construct,  and 
the  carr,f;„tone  that  mm  be  laid,  ig  that  of  respect 
for  law  and  obedience  to  inthorty.    No  common- 
wealth  can  remain  in  exi=  c^n*  ,  no  government  can 
succeed  where  mob  law  exists.   The  Government 
must,  and  shall,  be  supreme.   Mob  law  spawned  by 
buotiy,  ifi;  .'ice,  fanaticism  axid  intolerance,  must  be 
pot  down  for  ever.   This  must  be  done,  and  it  is 
just  to  such  splendid  specimens  of  educated  physical 
manhood  as  I  see  before  me  to-day,  that  the  Govern- 
ment is  looking  to  accomplish  this  purpose. 

"Gentlemen,  i  thank  you  for  your  sympathy; 
I  thank  you  for  your  support;  I  &ank  God  for  it, 


140 


THE  IfAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


for  I  now  see  success  crowning  our  efforts,  not  in  the 
far  distant  future,  but  now;  for  I  also  see  that  I  am 
not  alone  in  diit  fi^^  and  with  die  oontdousness  oi 
having  such  men  as  you  bdiind  me,  I  am  strengthened 

with  renewed  courage,  and  you  can  rest  assured  that  I 
now  consecrate  my  life  afresh,  and  if  necessary  will 
lay  it  down  willingly,  at  any  time,  to  accomplish  my 
purpose,  and  that  is  to  make  our  beloved  Canada  the 
most  law-abiding,  and  bot-govemed  colcmy  tinder  the 
British  Crown." 

The  different  athletic  clubs,  composing  the  volun- 
teer bodyguard,  formed  themselves  into  a  hollow 
square,  the  men  standing  shoulder  to  shoulder,  from 
ten  to  twenQT  deep,  Mr.  McGee  and  the  recepdmi  com- 
mittee  occupying  the  center,  completely  preventing 
any  one  from  getting  within  fifty  feet  of  the  party. 
Detectives  mingled  with  the  crowds  outside  the  square 
and  kept  a  sharp  lookout  for  suspicious  characters, 
and  if  they  cau^t  a  glimpse  of  a  man  putting  his  hand 
to  his  pocket  as  if  attempting  to  draw  a  pistd,  he  was 
seized  at  once  and  searched,  and  if  a  gun  was  found 
on  him  he  was  handcuffed  and  locked  up  in  a  box  car 
which  had  been  prepared  as  a  lockup,  with  police 
guards.  Mr.  McGee  was  escorted  by  the  committee 
of  Montreal  citizens  who  were  to  entertain  him,  to  a 
very  handsome  open  carriage  drawn  by  a  magnificoit 
pair  of  thoroughbred  dark  bay  horses. 

As  soon  as  he  was  seated,  the  marshal  in  command 
of  the  bodyguard  placed  his  men  in  position.  This 
had  aU  been  pbuined  and  mapped  out  beforehand, 
so  that  every  man  knew  exactly  where  to  go. 

Mr.  McGee's  carriage  was  surrounded  by  a  sdid 


MOTS  AND  PREPABEDNESS  147 

body,  or  wall,  of  fine  stalwart  men,  who  would  have 
fought  to  the  death  for  him,  had  it  been  necessary  to  do 
80.  Several  clubs  led  the  procession  and  marched  to  a 
quickstep  played  by  the  band.  Mr.  McGee's  car- 
nage was  m  the  center  of  a  hollow  square  composed  of 
members  of  lacrosse  clubs,  marching  in  close  order, 
about  ten  deep  on  each  side  of  the  carriage,  so  that  no 
one  could  get  near  him  unless  they  broke  through  the 
ranks— and  a  disorganized  mob  could  hardly  do  that. 

The  procession  headed  for  WeUington  Street,  and 
to  do  so  had  to  pass  over  Wellington  Bridge.  The 
bridge  was  well  guarded,  but  just  as  soon  as  the  pro- 
cession had  passed  over,  we  entered  Wellington  Street 
and,  instead  of  the  crowds  being  orderly  as  they  were 
on  the  way  out,  the  hoodlums  had  congregated  at  the 
street  comers  all  along  the  route  and  had  supplied 
themselves  with  all  kinds  of  missiles  to  throw  at  the 
procession  as  it  wended  its  way  to  the  St,  Lawrence 
Hall. 

Numberi  of  detectives  and  others  who  had  been 
•worn  in  as  deputies  by  the  sheriff,  mingled  with  the 
crowds  all  along  the  route  and  as  soon  as  they  spotted 
a  man  about  to  throw  a  stone,  he  received  a  crack  on 
the  head  from  a  short  club  held  in  the  hand  of  one  of 
these  men,  and  was  bowled  over  at  once  and  thrown 
into  one  of  the  vans  that  had  been  provided  for  just 
such  an  emergency  and  carted  off  to  jail. 

The  thugs  tried  time  after  time  to  break  through  the 
ranks,  but  the  lacrosse  sticks  wielded  by  such  skillful 
hands  as  the  men  of  the  different  lacrosse  clubs,  that 
■cores  of  these  aggressors  were  knocked  out  and  left 
n>nwling  in  the  mud,  with  broken  and  sore  heads  that 


148 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


ipould  remiiui  diein  for  tome  time  to  come  that  mob 
rule  was  never  going  to  be  allowed  a  free  hand  in  Mon- 
treal. And  it  taught  them  another  lesson,  namely, 
that  the  law-abiding  element  were  in  a  strong  majority. 
And  to  their  great  credit,  the  respectable  element  of 
the  Irish  Catholic  population  were  with  die  law-abiding 
citizens  in  their  dForts  to  put  down  mob  rule.  The 
march  through  Griffintown  was  short  and  swift,  and 
we  landed  Mr.  McGee  at  the  St.  Lawrence  Hall  with- 
out a  hair  of  his  head  being  injured.  St.  James  Street 
was  packed  with  men  who  had  sworn  that  Mr.  McGee 
would  never  be  illowed  to  make  a  ftMk  speech  ui 
Montreal.  But  to  their  chagrin  and  surprise,  a  few 
moments  after  entering  the  doors  of  the  hotel,  which 
were  closed  and  guarded  as  soon  as  he  and  the  com- 
mittee had  passed  through,  Mr.  McGee  went  up  to  the 
second  story  mi  stepp«4  through  one  of  the  mtd&wt 
onto  a  small  Inlcony  ov«k>oking  a  perfect  sea  of  iatm, 
and  stood  there  with  arms  folded  waiting  for  the  torn 
of  voices  to  ceaM  irfiich  greeted  him  as  idchi  as  he  was 
recognized. 

He  stood  for  a  few  mim^  with  head  uncovered,  a 
perfect  mark  fv  «i  assMsia's  bi^at.  Sane  my  time 
several  shots  wtn  firml,  but  the  sennds  wnt  drowned 
in  the  thunderous  roar  of  the  enraged  crowds.  Mr. 
McGee  was  as  brave  as  he  was  eloquent,  and  not  in 
the  least  daunted  at  the  show  of  hostiUty  by  the  mad- 
dened thrnig  wliadi  hm  hmi,  Tkm  he  nused  hk 
ri^  haod,  asking  for  sdsace,  aai  wited  until  the 
uproar  ceased.  As  soon  as  quiet  was  obtained,  \m 
^manded  ris  his  right,  as  a  British  subject,  the  privilege 
oi  free  speech.   The  shouting,  jeering  and  hissing 


RIOTS  AND  PREPAREDNESS 


crowd  gradually  became  quiet  and  Mr.  McGee  made 
one  of  the  most  brilUant  speeches  he  ever  made  in  his 
We.  Hit  braveiy,  matchless  eloquence  and  mag- 
netitm  at  last  captured  the  crowd,  and  before  he  had 
spoken  ten  minutes,  he  held  the  crowd  breathless, 
fearing  they  would  lose  one  single  word  which  fell  from 
his  hps.  Mr.  McGee's  address  lasted  for  over  an  hour, 
and  It  was  the  best  lesson  the  disturbing  element  of 
Montreal  ever  received  and  the  better  class  of  citizens 
emphatically  proclaimed  that  from  that  time  forward 
the  law  must  for  ever  be  upheld,  and  mob  rule  put 
down  for  ever. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  many  of  the  body- 
guard who  escorted  Mr.  McGee  from  Point  St.  Charles 
G.  T.  R.  station  to  the  St.  Lawrence  Hall  were  pretty 
badly  hurt.  I  received  one  bad  crack  on  the  side  of 
the  head,  and  a  few  minor  bruises,  but  we  did  not  have 
anything  like  the  big  fight  we  expected;  the  mobs 
were  cowed  by  the  show  of  determination  and  by  the 
class  of  men  who  took  part  in  the  demonstration. 

The  fact  is  the  whole  city  was  roused  as  never 
before,  and  the  respectable  men  of  all  denominations 
and  creeds  were  united  for  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  Montreal  and  decided  to  sink  all  diflrerences,  and  unite 
on  one  common  phitform,  founded  on  Law  and  Order 
for  the  good  of  all. 

After  Mr.  McGee's  memorable  speech  from  the 
balcony  m  front  of  the  St.  Lawrence  Hall  had  been 
deUvered,  the  better  element  of  the  citizens  of  Mon- 
treal thought  that  at  last  quiet  and  peace  would  obtain 
mthe  dty,  but  they  were  mistaken.  The  poUtical 
wmiOKuei  renewed  with  frcdi  vigor  their  insidious 


150 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANAIXAN 


propaganda  in  enticing  the  baser  element  or  classes 
of  die  people  to  renewed  eflPort,  and  the  McGee  riots 
broke  out  again  in  different  parts  of  the  ciQr,  and  cul- 
minated IB  a  vast  mob  taking  pof^scssion  of  Victoria 
Square,  armed  with  pistols  and  clubs,  and  pockets 
filled  with  stones  and  missiles  of  all  kinds. 

The  authorities,  finding  that  the  mild  measures  they 
had  adopted  up  to  that  time  were  of  no  avail,  decided 
that  the  rime  had  now  arrived  to  use  harsher  means, 
and  put  a  stop,  for  all  time,  to  anything  like  mob  rule 
in  the  city.  The  troops  were  called  out,  and  after  the 
reading  of  the  riot  act,  the  crowds  were  ordered  to  dis- 
perse and  go  to  their  homes,  but  instead  dP  doing  so, 
they  fired  a  voll^  oi  stones  and  pistol  shots  at  the 
troops — wounding  several  of  them  as  wdl  as  scmie  ot 
the  onlookers. 

The  commander  of  the  troops,  an  old  Crimean  vet- 
eran, ordered  his  men  to  load  with  blank  cartridges, 
and  dien  gave  the  conunand  to  fire.  But  as  diat  had 
no  effect,  but  to  incite  the  rioters  to  further  effort,  he 
ordered  the  troops  to  load  with  ball  cartridges,  and  gave 
the  soldiers  orders  to  fire  low,  and  shoot  to  kill.  This 
they  did,  and  when  the  smoke  drifted  away  and  the 
mobs  discovered  that  large  numbers  of  their  men  had 
been  shot,  for  they  were  dropped  all  over  die  square,  a 
wild  scramble  took  place  for  shelter,  and  the  mobs 
from  their  leaders  down  were  seized  with  fright  and  in  a 
perfect  frenzy  of  terror  trampled  each  other  down  in 
their  mad  rush  to  get  away  from  the  soldiers.  The 
troopers  were  then  ordered  to  charge  right  into  the 
crowds  and  seize  the  leaders,  handcuff  them  and  throw 
them  into  the  police  vans  and  rush  than  off  to  jail 


RIOTS  AND  PREPAREDNESS  ui 

It  was  all  done  so  quickly  and  tywematically,  that 
m  a  very  short  time  a  rioter  was  not  to  be  found,  and 
Victona  Square  became  one  of  the  quietest  spots  in  the 
A  number  of  dead  were  picked  up  and  carried 
off  to  the  morgue,  and  a  great  many  wounded  were  con- 
veyed to  the  different  hospitals.  Among  the  number 
was  a  personal  friend  of  mine,  who  was  shot  through 
tht  kneecap  and  had  to  have  his  leg  amputated  above 
the  knee.  He  was  not  a  rioter,  but  simply  one  of  the 
crowd  Kke  myself— an  onlooker,  but  many  of  whom 
were  wounded. 

The  salutary  lesson  which  the  mobs  received  on  this 
occasion,  took  all  the  fight  out  of  them  and  the  political 
demagogues  who  were  responsible  for  the  riots,  but 
who  had  not  been  captured,  were  conspicuous  by  their 
absence;  and  it  would  have  been  anything  but  safe 
for  one  of  them  to  show  his  face  in  the  City  of  Mon- 
treal for  a  long  rime  to  come,  for  the  very  men  whom  they 
had  incited  to  violence  were  now  their*  bitterest  ene- 
mies, anrl  swore  to  kill  them  on  sight  the  first  rime  they 
laid  eyes  on  them.    But  aU  this  rioting  and  fighting 
helped  to  fan  the  fire  of  patriotism  into  a  flame  in  the 
hearts  of  the  youth  of  the  country,  and  the  young  men 
of  the  city,  especiallj  ,  flocked  to  the  military  schools 
and  enrolled  for  service,  and  every  volunteer  regiment 
had  Its  ranks  filled  to  full  strength.   I  had  always  had  a 
dtnn  to  join  the  service,  for  my  father  was  an  old 
soldier,  and  many  of  my  uncles  were  military  men,  and 
last,  but  not  least,  my  eldest  brother  Chris  was  a  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Queen's  Own,  at  Toronto. 

A  number  of  my  companions  and  myself  enrolled 
at  the  barracks,  took  the  necessary  oath,  and  became 


m        THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

members  of  the  military  school  and  the  very  next  day 
began  our  nulitaiy  training  to  fit  us  for  officers  in  one  of 
the  volunteer  legtments  connected  with  Her  MajesQr'f 
service. 

Our  measurements  were  taken  and  we  were  sup- 
plied with  the  regulation  cadet  uniforms,  scarlet  tunic 
with  brass  buttons  and  gold  braid,  blue  trousers  with 
wide  gold  stripes,  and  forage  cap  with  gold  band.  We 
all  thought  we  looked  very  smart  and  chic  when  we 
donned  the  uniforms  for  the  first  time.  I  had  been 
working  at  a  desk  in  the  warehouse  for  some  months 
back,  and  the  constant  bending  over  the  books  began 
to  round  my  shoulders,  so  the  first  thing  the  drill  ser- 
geant did  was  to  take  a  stout  oak  stick  and  pass  it 
through  my  arms  and  across  my  back,  fastening  my 
hands  at  the  wrists  across  my  chest,  compelling  me  to 
stand  very  erect,  and  throw  my  chest  forward  so  as  to 
release  die  tension  on  my  wrists.  I  was  only  kept  in  this 
posirion  for  an  hour  at  a  time;  I  thought  it  a  great 
hardship  at  first,  but  after  wearing  it  for  some  time  it 
took  all  the  hump  out  of  my  back  and  shoulders,  and  I 
became  as  straight  as  a  ramrod.  Many  a  rime  from 
that  day  to  this  I  have  blessed  that  old  drill  sergeant 
for  forcing  me  to  wear  that  oak  stick,  for  it  made  me 
carry  mywdf  perfectly  erect  and  straight,  and  I  have 
been  so  ever  since. 

The  constant  drilling  was  very  fariguing,  but  I  got 
accustomed  to  it  in  rime.  We  were  taught  all  kinds  of 
athletic  exerdset  and  sports,  anything  to  make  us 
strong  and  fit;  boxing  and  wresding  were  the  two 
principal  and  most  popular  exercises.  Large  air 
mattresses  or  cushions  were  provided  for  these  two 


BIOTS  AND  PREPAREDNESS  15S 

•ports,  so  that  the  contestants  would  not  be  hurt^ 
when  thrown  or  knocked  out  by  a  blow. 

'Die  boxing  master  was  a  very  tall  Englishman  from 
the  Grenadier  Guards,  and  must  have  been  at  least 
MX  feet  four  indict  tall,  very  strong,  and  a  magnificent 
boxer,  and  wai  constantly  telling  us:  "If  you  ever 
expect  to  put  up  a  good  fight,  you  must  first  learn  to 
take  a  good  punishment,"  and  that  the  two  things  that 
counted  most  in  a  fight  were  skill  and  endurance.  And 
he  certainly  tried  to  impress  us  with  these  two  facts; 
for  many  a  time  as  I  stood  up  to  him  with  the  gloves  on, 
he  would  say,  "Now,  Mr.  Arling,  guard  you  face  weU, 
for  I  am  going  to  hit  you  right  on  the  left  jaw,"  and, 
guard  as  I  would,  his  right  fist  would  connect  with  my 
left  jaw  and  with  such  force  I  would  almost  turn  a 
back  somersault  as  he  knocked  me  off  my  feet,  and 
landed  me  flat  on  my  back  on  the  mattress,  so  that  I 
could  see  stars  scintillaring  all  over  the  drill  hall.  With- 
out moving  a  muscle  of  his  face,  and  as  if  nothing  out 

SVr  A?*^*"*'''  ^""^  happened,  he  would  continue, 
Mr.  Arbng,  that  is  a  very  pretty  blow  for  a  knock- 
out-now  just  get  up  and  I  will  show  you  how  it  is 
done.  For,  if  it  is  accomplished  with  the  regulation 
hght  gloves,  It  usually  results  in  a  knockout."  I 
agreed  with  him  perfectly  when  I  was  the  recipient  and 
he  was  the  one  who  administered  the  blow.  Anyhow 
m  time  he  made  me  a  fairly  good  boxer  and  taught  me 
how  to  take  punishment  without  flinching.  In  after 
years  I  was  more  than  thankful  to  him  for  teaching 
nie  how  to  use  my  hands  in  an  emergency,  and  many  a 
time  this  knowledge  saved  me  from  a  bad  beating,  or 


IM        THE  MAUSQ  OP  A  CANADIAN 

What  with  the  drilling,  boxing,  wrestling,  vaulting, 
jumping  and  other  oerciMs,  we  soon  found  we  were 
becoming  strong,  ttihrart  men,  in  perfect  i^yekal  con- 
dition, capable  of  enduring  a  great  deal  of  hardship 
and  at  the  same  time  it  imbued  us  with  confidence  in  our 
ability  to  take  care  of  ourselves,  making  us  absolutely 
lelf-reliant;  but,  unfortunately,  it  also  made  us  just  a 
little  bit  proud.  When  the  school  was  dismissed  in  the 
afternoon,  it  was  our  custom  to  break  up  into  batches 
of  say  four  or  six  to  the  squad,  and  take  a  stroll  around 
the  city,  or  at  other  times  uke  quite  a  long  hike  through 
the  country. 

There  were  about  leven  thousand  British  troops 
stationed  in  Montreal  at  this  time,  and  as  we  were  only 
cadets,  it  was  our  duty  whenever  we  met  an  officer  in 
uniform  to  salute  him,  but  as  some  of  these  officers 
were  very  young  men  like  ourselves,  we  got  it  into  our 
heads  that  it  was  a  little  bit  lowering  to  our  dignity  to 
be  compelled  to  do  this,  and  we  resorted  to  all  kinds  of 
evasions  and  expedients  to  avoid  saluting  particubrly 
the  younger  officers  of  the  service. 

On  one  particular  occasion,  six  of  us  were  strolling 
leisurely  along  St.  James  Street,  die  most  fashionable 
promenade  at  that  time,  chatting  and  swinging  our 
small  canes,  for  we  all  considered  ourselves  great 
dandies  in  our  well-fitting  uniforms,  and  all  carried 
canes.  We  stopped  for  a  while  to  chat  with  some 
friends,  who  were  seated  in  armchairs  in  front  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  Hall,  as  this  hotel  was  the  great  rendez- 
vous for  all  die  well-to-do  idlers  in  the  city,  and  on  a 
fine  afternoon  the  front  veranda  was  always  crowded 
with  them,  and  sometimes  a  row  of  armchain  extended 


RIOTS  AND  PREPAREDNESS  iffff 

along  the  sidewalk  next  the  hotel,  all  intent  on  gazing 
at  the  fashionably  dressed  ladies  and  gentlemen  prom- 
enading along  this  most  fashionable  thoroughfare. 
All  at  once,  I  espied  a  number  of  British  officers  in 
uniform  coming  up  the  street;  I  gave  the  signal  to  my 
companions  and  we  walked  on  to  the  window  of  a 
sporting  goods  shop  next  door,  and  pretended  to  be 
greatly  interested  in  the  window  display,— the  six  of 
us  all  intently  gazing  into  the  window  with  our  backs 
to  the  street.  In  a  few  moments  the  officers  arrived; 
they  halted  and  stood  at  the  curb,  looking  straight  at 
our  backs.  We  could  see  their  reflection  plainly  in  the 
plate  glass  window,  and  we  became  a  little  bit  alarmed, 
for  we  noted  that  they  were  all  officers  of  high  rank  and 
an  at  once  became  aware  that  it  was  Major  General 
Windom,  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  British 
forces  in  Canada,  and  his  staff. 

They  halted  for  a  short  time,  and  the  longer  they 
remained  looking  at  our  backs  the  more  we  became 
embarrassed;  but  the  silence  was  broken  by  the  mil- 
itary command  uttered  in  stentorian  tones:  "Mil- 
itary School  Cadets,  At-ten-tion!"  We  immediately 
came  to  attention.  "Right  about  face!"  and  we 
wheeled  about  facing  the  General  and  his  staff.  "Ad- 
vance two  paces — ^forward ! "  We  advanced  two  paces. 
"Ease  off  from  the  left!"  which  we  did.  "Halt!"  and 
we  halted,  standing  as  stiff  as  ramrods. 

The  General  then  gave  the  next  command  (for 
It  was  General  Windom  who  was  putting  us  through 
the  exercise):  "Military  School  Cadets,  Salute  by 
numbers!  One!"  Our  arms  flew  out  straight  from 
the  shoulder  with  palms  down.  "Two!"  our  right 


156 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


hands  flew  back  touching  the  rim  of  our  forage  caps. 
"Three!"  and  our  hands  dropped  to  our  sides.  He 
then  gave  the  commaiid:  "Dote  up  fron  the  kStV* 
and  we  closed  up,  standing  in  rank  at  attentioii.  He 

then  addreb-^ed  us:  "Gentlemen,  it  has  come  to  my 
ears  that  the  members  of  the  military  schools  have  a 
decided  objection  to  saluting  when  they  meet  officers 
of  Her  Majesty's  service  from  time  to  time.  Now, 
young  gentlemen,  I  do  not  wish  to  hurt  your  fedinfi 
by  this  public  exhibition  of  discipline,  but  amply  want 
to  say  that  when  you  salute  an  officer  you  are  not  salut- 
ing the  man,  but  you  are  saluting  the  uniform  and  the 
cobri  of  Her  Majesty's  service.   So  do  not  think  for  a 
mcmient  you  are  lowering  your  dignity  by  ddng  so, 
for  you  are  not.   I  sincerely  trust  you  will  profit  by 
this  lesson,"  and  then  issued  tht  following  command: 
"Stand  at  ease!"  and  we  did.   "Now  good  day,  gen- 
tkmen,  dismiss!"  and  we  did,  for  we  were  mighty 
glad  to  get  away.  Just  at  soon  as  the  General  and 
his  staflT  started  up  die  street,  a  perfect  roar  of  laugh- 
ter greeted  our  ears  from  all  the  loungers  in  front 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  Hall,  as  well  as  from  the  great 
crowd  of  onlookers  who  had  witnessed  the  episode; 
and  I  can  assure  you  we  got  away  from  that  vicinity 
as  soon  as  we  possibly  could.   Our  pride  received  a 
great  shock,  but  we  profited  by  the  experience  and 
never  again  refused  to  salute  an  officer  from  that 
time  on. 

For  the  six  months  that  I  was  connected  with  the 
military  school,  I  studied  and  worked  hard,  for  I  was 
anxious  to  pass  my  examinations  with  credit.  I  had 
pored  over  my  book,  "The  Queen's  Regulations," 


RIOTS  AND  PREPAREDNESS  M? 

until  late  every  night  to  acquire  a  good  and  perfect 
knowledge  of  military  tactics. 

I  remember  as  a  raw  recruit,  along  with  many  others 
who  enliited  on  the  same  day  that  I  did,  that  we  were 
toed  up  before  the  sergeant  who  was  to  be  our  drill 
mstructor;  he  was  an  immense  big  burly  EngHthman 
with  a  voice  like  a  foghorn,  and  who  knew  his  book  by 
heart,  for  it  was  said  he  never  read  any  other.  On 
giving  ui  our  first  lesson  of  instructions,  he  handed  each 
one  of  us  a  book  about  one  inch  thick,  and  five  inches 
long  by  four  wide,  bound  in  red  morocco,  with  flexible 
covers  and  fastened  with  a  brass  clasp,  and  said: 
Gentlemen,  the  books  I  have  just  handed  you  are 
called  'The  Queen's    Regulations.'    They  contain 
every  atom  of  information  required  to  fit  you  for  sol- 
diers and  officers  in  Her  Majesty's  service.   I  require 
you  to  study  this  book  carefuUy,  faithfiiUy,  and  con- 
stantly, every  moment  you  can  spare  when  off  duty. 
In  fact,  I  want  you  to  eat  it;  so  that  you  will  assimilate 
every  word.   I  will  refer  you  to  several  very  important 
and  necessary  facts  recorded  in  this  boo^  and  it  will 
be  your  duty  to  make  yourselves  familiar  with  them  as 
soon  as  possible.    Please  turn  to  page  157,  and  four 
lines  from  the  bottom  of  the  page  you  will  find  these 
words  written";  and  then  he  would  repeat  from  mem- 
ory the  words  quoted,  for  he  had  no  book  in  his  hand, 
and  all  through  this  first  lesson  would  give  us  instruc- 
dons  as  laid  down  in  the  book  entitled,  "The  Queen's 
Regulations,"  and  would  give  us  the  page  and  the  loca- 
tion on  the  page  for  every  reference  as  above.    He  had 
really  "eaten  the  book,"  as  he  had  instructed  us  to  do. 
All  through  my  term  of  six  months  in  that  miUuiy 


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IBS         THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

school,  he  interspersed  his  talks  and  clinched  his  argu- 
ments with  quotations  from  The  Queen's  Regulations, 
but  I  never  in  all  that  time  saw  him  look  at  the  book 
<»ice,  for  he  had  a  most  marvelous  memory. 

At  last  the  day  arrived  that  I  and  several  of  my 
comrades  were  to  be  examined  by  the  commanding 
officer;  we  were  all  in  a  great  state  of  excitement,  fearing 
we  would  be  plucked.  Some  of  the  boys  were,  but  some 
of  my  most  intimate  friends  and  myself  succeeded  in 
passing  the  exan  inations  and  received  our  certificates, 
and  were  then  mustered  out  of  the  military  school. 

A  few  days  after  leaving  the  school,  I  received  a 
letter  from  the  proprietor  of  a  large  wholesale  establish- 
ment, one  of  the  largest  in  the  City  of  Toronto,  making 
me  the  <^er  of  a  very  nice  position  in  his  establish- 
ment, with  a  very  much  larger  salary  than  I  had  ever 
received  up  to  that  dme  for  my  services,  and  I  decided 
to  accept  his  offer  if  father  and  mother  thought  well  of  it. 

That  evening,  when  we  had  all  gathered  in  the 
living-room  after  supper,  I  took  the  letter  out  of  my 
pocket  and  read  it  to  them,  and  asked  father  and 
mother  what  they  thought  I  should  do.  We  talked 
the  matter  over  all  the  evening,  and  all  thought  the 
proposidon  was  such  a  generous  one  that  I  should 
accept  it.  So  the  next  morning  I  wrote  to  Messrs. 
Glatsman  &  Company  accepting  their  kind  offer,  and 
wmild  kave  for  Twmto  in  a  few  day§. 


CHAPTER  XV 


BEGINNINGS  OF  A  COMMERCIAL  TRAVELER 

I  WROTE  my  letter  of  acceptance  to  Glassman  & 
Company  and  one  week  later  was  ready  to  start  for  the 
West.  Father,  mother  and  the  girls  all  came  down  to 
the  G.  T.  R.  station  with  me  to  say  farewell,  and  see  me 
off.  It  was  a  sad  leave-taking  for  all  of  us,  but  a  most 
affectionate  one.  I  had  embraced  and  kissed  each  one 
of  them,  and  was  just  stepping  on  the  train,  the  con- 
ductor was  shouting  out  "All  aboard!"  when  dear 
mother  ran  f<»rward  and  put  her  two  arms  around  my 
neck  and  kissed  me  again  and  again,  and  said,  "Be  a 
|ood  boy,  Jack,  as  you  have  always  been.  Remember 
we  will  be  praying  for  you  at  home.  God  bless  you, 
my  dear,  dear  son."  And,  as  the  train  pulled  out  I 
caught  a  last  glimpse  of  her,  with  her  head  buried  on 
fiidier's  shoulder  and  weeping  as  though  hor  dear  heart 
would  breaL 

I  woke  up  early  the  following  morning,  as  the  train 
pulled  into  Coburg,  where  we  had  breakfast,  which  I 
enjoyed  immensely,  and  then  started  again  for  Toronto. 
It  was  a  beautiful  May  morning;  everything  along  the 
line  was  fresh  and  bright,  the  dew  was  sparklipg  like 
silver  on  the  leaves  of  the  trees  and  the  grass,  and  die 
morning  air  was  sweet.  I  was  only  a  lad  of  nineteen 
at  the  time,  and  was  wondeiing  what  the  future  had 
store  for  me,  for  I  was  very  ambitious,  and  there- 
~    "  l» 


160 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


fore  was  just  starting  out  and  on  my  way  to  seek  my 
fortune  in  the  West.  I  was  also  feeling  a  bit  home- 
sick, for  I  had  been  thinking  ever  since  I  woke  up  that 
morning,  that  perhaps  I  had  left  my  dear  old  home  for 
ever.  I  was  also  thinking  of  the  last  interview  I  had 
had  with  my  dear,  sweet*laced  mother  in  her  nxmi, 
just  before  leaving  for  the  West;  she  put  her  arms 
around  my  neck  and  kissed  me,  and  told  me  of  her 
great  love  for  me  and  that  no  matter  where  I  went  her 
heart  and  prayers  would  be  with  me  all  the  time;  to 
be  sure  at  all  times  to  commit  all  my  ways  into  God's 
hands  and  that  he  surely  would  direct  all  my  steps. 
She  told  me  all  this  through  her  tears,  which  she  was 
trying  so  bravely  to  hold  back,  and  at  the  same  time  I 
was  struggling  with  a  big  lump  in  my  throat  which  I 
found  imporaibk  to  swallow. 

These,  and  oAer  experiences  ccmnected  widi  my  fifib 
in  the  dear  dd  home,  paned  before  my  mind  in  pan^ 
oramic  procession  as  I  sat  at  the  window  of  the  train 
that  morning,  every  moment  increasing  the  distance 
between  those  whom  I  loved  so  dearly,  and  myself. 
But  my  reverie  came  to  an  abrupt  ending,  for  the 
trainman  was  shouting  at  the  top  of  hli  voice 
"Toronto!  All  change!"  I  got  my  thbgs  together 
as  quickly  as  possible,  and  grabbing  my  bag,  walked 
out  of  the  train  with  the  other  passengers.  I  was 
thinking  at  the  time  what  a  pity  it  was  that  I  was  not 
going  to  meet  Chris  as  I  stepped  off  the  train.  Chris 
was  in  England  at  the  time,  as  die  buyer  for  my  uncle's 
firm  (Alfred  Durand  &  Company),  but  instead  of 
receiving  a  hearty  welcome  from  Chris,  I  heard  a  deep, 
raspy  voice  right  at  my  elbow  say,  "Well,  sir!  so  you 


BEGINNINGS  OF  A  COMMERCIAL  TRAVELER  1«1 


have  arrived  at  last,  have  you?  It's  about  time  I 
twenQT  minutes  late!  trains  are  always  late." 

I  turned  and  found  that  the  voice  belonged  to  my 
Uncle  Alfred,  or,  as  he  liked  to  be  called,  "Mr.  Alfred 
Durand,"  or,  better  still,  "Alfred  Durand,  Esq." 
He  was  a  tall,  saUow-complejctoned  man,  standing  fully 
six  feet  three,  very  erect,  and  not  very  stout.  He  was 
dressed  in  a  black  frock  suit,  a  tall  silk  hat,  with  a  high 
standing  collar,  the  ears  pointing  straight  out  on  each 
side  of  his  face,  and  this  was  encompassed  with  a  large 
black  .stock,  or  cravat.  He  was  a  hard  worker  and 
expected  every  man  in  his  employ  to  be  the  same; 
he  had  made  money  and  was  a  high  pillar  in  the  church, 
and,  in  his  own  opinion,  one  <^  the  most  important 
members  of  the  community. 

As  my  brother  Chris  was  in  Europe,  my  Aunt 
Rebekah,  his  wif(^  a  very  lovable  woman,  had  insisted 
on  his  driving  down  to  die  train  to  meet  me  yrhm  f 
arrived  and  bring  me  up  to  the  house. 

Just  as  soon  as  we  were  seated  in  the  buggy,  he 
thought  it  a  good  time  to  give  me  some  sound  advice, 
and  at  die  same  time  impress  me  with  his  great  impor- 
Unce.  I  was  in  a  very  receptive  mood  at  the  time,  for 
I  was  feeling  very  lonely  and  homesick,  and  a  few  kind 
words  would  certainly  have  found  a  ready  response  in 
my  heart.  Instead,  he  started  right  in  to  give  me  a 
lecture  on  the  wickedness  pervading  all  classes  of  society, 
and  that  everytme,  especially  the  young  men  of  die 
day,  were  going  plumb  to  perdition,  and  wound  up  by 
saying:  "And  I  sincerely  trust,  young  man,  that  you 
have  not  come  West  to  disgrace  your  relatives."  I 
had  not  replied  to  him  up  to  this  point  in  his  lecture, 


162 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


and  was  growing  more  indignant  every  nKHnent;  bat 
just  as  soon  as  he  made  this  pointed  allusion  to  myself, 
I  seized  the  reins  and  drew  the  horse  up  with  a  jerk 
and  grabbing  my  traveling  bag,  jumped  out  of  the 
buggy.  Turning  to  him,  I  said:  "Mr.  Durapd,  when 
you  find*  me  disgracing  my  relatives,  I  think  it  will  be 
ample  time  for  you  to  remind  me  of  that  fact.  Good 
day,  sir!"  I  then  left  him,  and  walking  up  the  street 
found  wiyself  in  a  strange  city,  with  but  few  friends. 

Fortunately,  I  met  a  young  man  whom  I  recognized 
as  having  met  on  my  previous  visit,  and  he  gave  me 
the  address  of  a  very  nice,  neat  and  clean  temperance 
hotel  on  the  next  block  where  I  engaged  a  room  with 
board,  and  made  this  my  home  for  some  time.   It  was 
a  fortunate  thing  for  me  that  I  was  directed  to  this 
particular  hotel,  for  there  were  several  fine  young  fel- 
lows boarding  in  this  house,— some  of  them  I  had  met, 
and  they  soon  made  me  acquainted  with  the  others  and 
we  all  became  very  good  friends.   Two  of  them,  par- 
ticularly, I  took  a  strong  liking  for,  and  was  veiy  much 
attached  to  them.   We  became  dose  companions,  and 
the  friendship  lasted  for  many  years.   Like  mjrself, 
they  were  fond  of  all  kinds  of  outdoor  sports,  more 
especially  boating  and  swimming.   We  were  strong, 
husky  lads,  brimming  over  with  health  and  good 
nature,  light-hearted,  and  constantly  living  on  the 
sunny  side  of  the  road.   They  very  soon  procured 
for  me  the  "entree"  into  some  of  the  most  hospitable 
homes  in  the  city,  and  I  became  acquainted  with  a 
great  many  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  were  just 
as  fond  of  outdoor  spofts  as  we  were,  and  among  the 
people  we  called  on  were  the  "Ralstones"  and  I  again 


BEGINNINGS  OP  A  COMMERCIU,  TBJlVESXB.  m 

had  the  pleuuie  of  renewing  my  acquaintance  witi, 
Sus,e  the  young  lady  I  had  met  in  July,  to  whom  I 
thought  my  brother  Chm  was  eni A 
tamly  expressed  her  pleasure  at  the  thought  that  I  had 
d^ded  to  make  Toronto  my  home,  and  ^ve  me  a  mSt 
«<»d«J  mviut.™  to  come  up  to  their  house  whene^r 
I  «t  hke  .t.  ««i  at  any  time  I  felt  the  least  bit  lonely 
or  homesjck  to  come  right  up  at  once  and  both  she,  h„ 
smer  and  the  rest  of  the  famfly  would  do  aU  in  didr 
power  to  mate  me  happy. 

Miss  Ralstone  and  her  sister  were  typical  of  the 
young  ladie.  of  Toronto  Since  that  time^^I  have  trav! 
and  ""I  have  virited  cities  and  towns, 

and  hved  with  and  become  well  acquainted  with  the 

Umted  States,  England  and  the  Continent  of  Europe! 
but  have  never  m  all  my  travels  met  a  more  wh<5e^ 
«.me  kt  of  young  people  than  I  had  the  good  fortune 

citrom;:."^~ » *e 

I  cJw'f        ""Ti"*  'f'"  '  """^  "  Toronto, 
1  caUed  at  once  on  Messrs.  J.  G.  Glassman  &  Co 

firm  I  had  had  the  cor«n»ndence  with,  and  who  had 
en^ged  my  services.  I  met  Mr.  Gla«m,an  for  At 
fi«t  dme,  as  I  had  carried  on  all  the  negotiation,  by 
mul.   He  was  a  tall,  good-looking,  welWressed  man. 

alei  ml  'n  1"^  "«  h".  <„„ch  to  say.  He  simpb^ 
1  told  hinj  that  of  course  it  was  a  new  line  for  me.  but  I 
thought  I  could.  He  point«i  u,  three  UtgeMmpfc 


IM         THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

trunks,  packed,  locked  and  strapped,  and,  handing  mt. 
the  keys  of  the  trunks  and  one  hundred  dollars  for 
expenses,  said:  "There  are  your  trunks,  I  think  you  had 
better  talrjs  the  seven  o'clock  train  to-morrow  morning, 
making  Guelph  your  fint  stopping  place,  and  cover 
the  western  ground.  It  will  take  you  about  two 
months  to  finish  the  trip,  and  I  hope  n  your  return  you 
will  have  done  some  good  busine  He  then  shook 
hands  with  me  and  said,  "Goor'  .ack  to  you;  let  us 
hear  from  you  every  day  or  two,"  and  then  vanished 
into  his  office. 

One  of  my  new  acquaintances  at  the  hotel  was 
Charley  Hurd.  He  also  was  a  commercial  tr  ler. 
He  and  I  sat  for  a  long  time  in  the  hotel  that  evening 
mapping  out  the  western  route  and  giving  me  all  kinds 
of  pointers,  which  I  found  very  useful. 

As  instructed,  I  caught  the  seven  o'clock  train  the 
next  morning,  and  started  on  my  first  trip  as  a  traveling 
salesman.  On  my  arrival  at  Guelph  I  took  the  bus  up 
to  the  hotel.  A  good-natured  looking  clerk  stood 
behind  the  counter  and,  shoving  the  book  over,  asked 
me  to  register.  He  asked  me  at  the  same  time  if  I 
needed  a  sample  room.  I  told  him  I  did.  After  a 
few  words  of  greeting,  I  asked  him  if  he  would  kindly 
give  me  the  name  and  address  of  the  largest  and  most 
prosperous  hat  and  fur  dealer  in  the  city.  He  replied, 
"Why,  that's  easy!  Granger  &  Company  are  the 
largest,  the  wealthiest,  and  the  most  progressive  firm 
in  this  line  of  business  in  the  West.  But  I  will  tell  you 
right  now  that  I  hardly  think  you  will  be  able  to  do 
anything  with  them,  for  they  never  buy  from  traveling 
salesmen.  Mr.  Granger  himself  does  the  buying  and 


BEGINNINGS  OP  A  COMMEBOAL  TRAVELER  m 

he  goes  to  Toronto,  Hamilton  and  Montreal  every 
two  months  and  buys  first  hand  from  manufacturers 
and  jobbers,  and  traveling  men  all  say  it  is  simply  a 
waste  of  time  to  call  on  that  firm." 

I  thanked  him  very  much  for  the  information  and 
requested  diat  he  would  have  my  sample  trunks  put 
mto  a  good  sample  room.  I  made  my  way  at  once 
to  Granger  &  Company's,  and  handed  my  private  card 
to  a  young  man  at  the  entrance  and  requested  that  he 
would  ask  Mr.  Granger  to  accord  me  an  interview  in 
his  private  office.  He  returned  in  a  short  time  and 
said  Mr.  Granger  would  see  me. 

I  was  ushered  into  Mr.  Granger's  offic  and  found 
him  to  be  a  rather  good-looking,  heavily  Suilt,  fair- 
complexioned  German  Canadian.    He  was  in  his  shirt 
sleeves,  seated  on  a  large  swivel  armchair  and  smoking 
a  big  black  Havana  cigar.    He  looked  up  from  his  desk 
as  1  entered  and  said  very  pleasantly,  "Well,  young 
fellow,  what  can  I  do  for  you?"   I  said,  "Mr.  Granger! 
.  w  -n  do  a  good  deal  for  me  if  you  wiU,  and  perhaps  I 
wiprocate  and  do  something  for  you.    If  you  will 
^  «dl/ give  me  a  few  moments  of  your  valuable  rime, 
for  I  know  you  arc  a  very  busy  man,  I  will  explain." 

Herephed:  "My  time  is  rather  valuable  just  now 
but  go  ahead."   "Mr.  Granger,"  I  said,  "I  fiLd  myseTf 
m  rather  an  embarrassing  position;  I  am  a  dry  goods 
man  and  not  a  hat  man.   The  fact  is,  the  only  hats  I 
have  ever  handled  are  the  hats  that  I  have  used  on  my 

loronto  have  hired  me  to  travel  for  them  at  a  very 
Bood  salary;  in  fact,  the  best  wages  I  ever  had.  When 
1  arrived  at  the  warehouse  in  Toronto,  I  found  the 


166        TBB  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

trunks  already  packed,  locked  and  strapped.   I  had  a 
short  interview  with  Mr.  Glassman  in  his  office  and 
I  found  him  to  be  a  very  nice,  courteous  gentleman, 
but  he  timply  handed  me  the  keyi  of  the  trunks  and  an 
envelope  containing  one  hundred  doUan  for  traveling 
expenses  and  a  short  note,  telling  me  to  go  West  making 
my  first  stop  at  Guelph.    I  have  just  arrived,  and  have 
been  told  that  you  are  the  largest  dealer  in  hats  and 
furs  m  this  part  of  the  country  and  I  want  to  know  if 
you  would  be  good  enough  to  spend  an  hour  or  two 
in  my  sample  room  to-night.    It  will  of  course  be  an  act 
of  charity  on  your  part,  but,  at  the  same  time,  it  will 
be  of  the  most  inestimable  value  to  me.   I  will  give 
you  the  private  mark;  all  the  samples  are  marked  with 
it  so  diat  you  can  see  the  prices  for  yourself,  and  I  will 
also  give  you  a  special  price  list  giving  the  lowest  pos- 
sible prices  that  we  can  name  for  goods  in  large  quan- 
tities, also  giving  special  terms  and  discounts  to  large 
buyers.   In  fact,  I  will  provide  you  with  all  the  infor- 
mation I  have  myself,  and  if  you  will  take  the  trouble 
to  look  over  the  samples,  you  can  be  your  own  salesman 
and  buyer  at  the  same  time.   All  I  will  ask  you  to  do  is 
to  post  me  up  a  little  bit  on  my  own  line,  showing  me 
how  to  pack  and  unpack  the  samples,  how  to  lay  them 
out  and  show  them  off  to  the  best  advrjitage.   If  you 
will  kindly  do  this,  I  will  promise  on  my  part  that 
whenever  I  have  a  line  that  I  am  allowed  to  close  out 
less  than  the  regular  figures,  you  will  be  the  first  to  hear 
of  it."    He  listened  very  carefully  to  all  I  had  to  say, 
but  just  as  soon  as  I  was  through,  do  you  know  he  just 
sat  back  in  his  chair  and  laughed,  and  laughed,  until 
his  sides  shook.  My  1  but  how  he  seemed  to  enjoy  that 


BEGINNINGS  OF  A  COMMERCIAL  TRAVELER  167 

laugh.  He  had  not  been  at  it  very  long,  when  I  caught 
the  contagion  and  joined  in,  for  I  am  a  pretty  good 
laugher  myself. 

ux^^^A  ^^^^^  ™ 

Mr.  Arbng,  I  have  been  in  thii  business  for  thirty 

years,  and,  do  you  know  that  you  are  the  very  first 

travehng  salesman  that  has  called  at  my  warehouse  to 
sell  me  goods,  that  did  not  know  it  all,  and  that  did 
not  come  in  to  give  me  some  very  valuable  advice  and 
iirformation?  And  you  candidly  admit  that  you  are 
absolutely  ignorant  of  the  goods  you  want  to  sell  and 
are  frank  enough  to  tell  me  so  and  throw  yourself  on 
my  hands  and  ask  for  help." 

»wn»u   'T°"         diagnosed  my  case  exactly." 

Wel^  he  said,  "I  will  come  up  to  your  sample  room 
at  eight  o'clock  and  you  leave  the  sample  trunks  just 
as  they  are  until  I  arrive;  I  will  open  them,  and  lay  the 
samples  out  myself,  for  perhaps  you  do  not  know  it, 
but  I  am  an  old  traveling  salesman  myself.  I  will  not 
promise  to  buy  anything;  but,  my  boy,  you  can  depend 
on  me  to  give  you  a  thorough  posting  on  how  to  handle 
the  line." 

Promptly  at  eight  o'clock  he  walked  into  my  sample 
room  and  began  at  once  like  an  old  hand  to  open  the 
trunks  and  lay  the  samples  out  on  the  tables,  so  that 
they  would  show  up  to  the  best  advantage,  for  he 
thoroughly  understood  his  business.  He  was  talking 
all  the  time  he  worked,  showing  me  how  to  handle  the 
different  lines,  and  explaining  the  difference  in  quality, 
style  and  finish.  His  explanations  were  so  lucid  that 
I  was  enabled  to  comprehend  everything,  and  every 
bit  of  information  he  imparted  to  me,  and  I  soon  had 


168 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


enough  knowledge  to  give  me  a  fair  start  at  a  talea- 
man  in  these  lines  and  a  gnmndwork  to  build  up  further 
knowledge  as  I  went  on. 

I  had  given  him  the  price  lists,  the  special  quota- 
tions for  large  buvers,  and  the  discount  sheet.  These 
instructions  were  \try  carefully  written  out,  giving  me 
authority  to  fix  prices  for  small,  medium,  and  large 
buyers,  and  sn  extra  inducement  to  capture  die  trade 
of  the  customers  of  any  of  our  compedtora  in  buaineia» 
especially  where  I  found  there  was  keen  competition. 
Of  course,  as  we  said  on  the  road,  I  had  given  away 
the  whole  snap;  in  fact,  had  thrown  my  cards  on  the 
table  with  the  faces  up. 

All  the  time  he  was  posting  me  up  on  my  own  goods, 
he  was  diligently  making  memoranda  on  a  pad  which 
he  had  with  him.  He  remained  with  me  until  eleven 
o'clock  that  night  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  had 
given  me  a  pretty  fair  knowledge  of  my  own  line  ci 
goods.  I  was  an  apt  scholar  and  took  in  every  atom  of 
information  he  had  so  kindly  imparted  to  me,  and  not 
only  this,  but  I  had  made  a  good  friend  in  the  trade, 
and  one  who  never  lost  an  opportunity  to  do  me  a 
kindness. 

After  giving  me  all  the  information  he  could  think 

ofy  regarding  the  quality,  style  and  finibh  of  the  different 
grades  of  goods,  and  instructing  me  how  to  display  my 
samples  to  the  best  advantage,  he  said,  "Now,  I  will 
show  you  how  to  pack  your  samples  and  place  them  in 
your  trunks  so  that  they  will  thnya  come  out  neat  and 
fresh  looking."  When  he  had  finished  giving  me  this 
last  lesson,  he  locked  the  trunks  and  handed  me  the 
keys,  telling  me  not  to  open  the  trunks  again,  nor  allow 


BEGINNINGS  OP  A  CX)»IMERriAL  TRAVELER  16P 

any  one  to  see  them,  nor  the  samples,  until  I  had  seen 
him  in  the  morning,  and  then  he  would  explain  his 
retsom  for  making  the  request  and  make  me  a  proposi- 
tkm  which  he  thought  would  be  to  my  advantage; 
but  at  it  wat  now  to  hte  he  would  let  everything  rest 
over  night  and  for  me  to  be  at  his  office  at  nine  o'clock 
the  next  mcTiing. 

You  can  be  sure  I  was  on  hand  at  the  time  appointed 
and  he  was  there  to  meet  me;  he  was  smiling  all  over 
his  good-natured  looking  face  when  I  entered  his  office. 
He  shook  my  hand  warmly  and  said,  "Now,  Jack,  my 
boy,  I  have  certainly  taken  a  fancy  to  you  for  being  so 
frank  with  me  and  I  never  did  anything  in  kny  life  that 
gave  me  more  pleasure  than  I  derived  from  helping  you 
out  last  night.   I  have  made  it  a  rule  for  a  bng  time 
back,  not  to  buy  from  traveling  salesmen,  but  rather 
to  go  to  the  markets  direct  and  select  my  own  goods. 
But  I  am  going  to  make  an  exception  in  your  case, 
and  I  have  made  you  out  a  krge  order.       fact,  the 
largest  order  I  ever  gave  to  a  traveling  n  .  i.   I  am 
giving  you  this  order  on  the  conditions  that  you  do  not 
sell  to  any  one  else  in  this  city,  and  that  you  confine 
your  trade  directly  to  Mcsi  '\  Grange,  k  Company  fo. 
the  city  of  Guelph,  for  I  do  not  like  direct  competition 
in  the  city,  if  I  can  avoid  it.   I  will  always  be  your  cus- 
tomer here  and  will  buy  more  goods  from  you  than  all 
the  rest  of  the  hat  trade  put  together." 

Of  course  I  agreed  to  his  proposition  at  once,  and 
thanked  him  over  and  over  again  for  his  great  kindness 
and  told  him  it  was  simply  impossible  for  me  to  express 
in  words  the  gratitude  that  I  felt  welling  up  in  my  heart 
and  going  out  to  him  for  taking  all  the  pains,  time  and 


170 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


trouble  that  he  had  taken  with  me,  a  perfect  stranger 
and  only  a  young  hd  at  that,  and  added  to  diis  his 
great  kindness  in  giving  me  this  splendid  order  which 
would  certainly  put  me  on  my  feet  at  once  with  the 
firm,  and  at  the  same  time  it  had  Ufted  a  big  load  from 
my  mind,  for  I  was  afraid  that  on  account  of  my 
ignorance  of  the  goods  I  was  trying  to  sell,  I  would  fail 
in  making  sales. 

In  spite  of  all  I  could  do,  the  warm  tears  of  gratitude 
had  forced  themselves  into  my  eyes.  I  held  out  my 
hand  to  bici  him  good-bye,  but  instead  of  releasing  my 
hand,  he  held  on  to  it,  and  said  to  me,  "Jack,  you  are 
only  a  young  boy  yet,  and  have  not  wen  much  of  the 
world.  I  would  so  much  like  to  see  you  make  a  suc- 
cess of  life.  I  am  not  much  of  a  preacher,  but  Jack, 
just  take  this  from  me,  an  old  business  man:  Be  per- 
fectly truthful  in  all  your  dealings  with  your  customers 
and  be  sure  and  win  thdr  confidence  by  bong  abso- 
lutely sincere,  and  when  this  confidence  is  established, 
it  will  not  only  pay,  but  it  will  be  a  satisfaction  to  your- 
self, knowing  that  you  have  done  the  straight  thing." 

I  promised  him  that  I  would  certainly  try  to  prove 
to  him  that  I  was  worthy  of  his  confidence.  My  heart 
certainly  went  out  to  him  for  his  very  great  kindness 
to  me  and  I  was  so  grateful  for  the  kind,  fatherly  inter- 
est he  took  in  my  welfare  that  I  determined  right  there 
to  do  mv  level  best  so  that  the  next  time  I  called  on  him, 
I  could  look  him  in  the  face  and  tell  him  I  had  won  out 
and  had  kept  my  promise. 

He  walked  to  the  front  door  with  me,  still  holding 
my  hand,  and  as  we  parted  he  waved  his  hand  to  me, 
shouting  "Good  luck  to  you,  Jack!"  and  I  walked  back 


BEGINNINGS  OF  A  COMMRBCIAl  TEAVBLEB  171 

Tard  »!l!f *  '^^^-"y  throat  that  I  found 
«^„1  ••   \^  .""-P'rine  «he  difference  be- 

tween  the  reception  I  received  from  Mr.  Alfred  Durand 
(my  uncle)  on  my  arrival  at  Toronto,  and  the  whol^ 
«.uled  hearjy  and  kindly  manner  n  whS,  7^ 
««ttd  by  Mr.  Granger  a  perfect  stranger,  and  Z 
I  had  never  met  una]  the  day  before,  and  even  then 
without  the  prestige  of  an  introducrion,  but  haS 
s.mply  walked  mto  his  office,  presented  m^  card  and 

urd-br^m!'"'' - " 

r«,«^''  *e  West  and 

r«um«l  my  joumey.  To  me  it  to.  Uke  Uunching  out 

ZV?  T    J"  '  """^  *«  «i»  with  a 

Tit  ^  Ta  '  ''f'  ■^o™"".  for  now 

I  had  confidence  m  myself  and  was  sure  I  was  going 

I  „r;ni?"  T"*™  '7.  '"""^  '■"^  months  and 
I  not  only  made  many  friend,  in  the  trade,  but  did  a 
line  busincM  all  along  the  route. 

On  my  arrival  at  Toronto,  I  was  met  in  a  veiy  dif- 
ferent  manner  by  Mr.  Glassman  from  the  w^.  he 

^^^.Ttvl^"'  V'"  ^'i."*  °"  tim^e  he 

raw  me  at  the  front  door  of  the  warehouse,  shook  hands 
with  me  heartily  and  taking  my  arm,  conducted  me 
mto  his  private  office,  handed  me  a  chair  and  «id. 

Now  sit  down  and  tell  me  all  about  the  trip,  for  »o« 
cmainly  made  good  as  you  said  you  would  try  „ 
Why,  my  b^,  do  you  know  we  have  had  men  go  over 
that  „u,e  who  have  been  on  the  road  for  twenty  years. 

But  "lu  "''"  '?  "  "  done- 
But  tell  „e!  how  m  the  world  did  you  manage  to  land 

ttat  magnificent  order  from  Granger  U  Company— 


17« 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


that  was  a  corking  fine  order  you  took  from  them.  I 
can't  understand  it;  and  all  in  the  warehouse  have  had 
tlieir  heads  together  ever  since)  trying  to  make  it  out 
ever  since  you  sent  the  order  in.  Of  course  we  ao* 
knowledged  the  order  to  Granger  &  Company  at  once, 
and  expressed  our  thanks  and  shipped  the  goods 
according  to  instructions  and  the  goods  have  been 
paid  for.  But  still  we  can't  fathom  it.  Why,  we  have 
had  men  on  the  road  traveling  for  us  "who  have  grown 
gray  in  the  service  and  they  could  not  land  dd  man 
Granger  for  a  hundred  dollar  order,  and  here  you 
come  along,  a  nineteen-year-old  boy,  and  sold  that  firm 
a  bill  amounting  to  over  three  thousand  dollars.  It 
was  simply  great!  It  was  immense!"  The  odier 
members  of  the  firm  and  the  heads  of  die  different 
dq>artments  flocked  in  to  see  the — ^boy  salesman — as 
they  called  me,  and  aknost  spoiled  me  with  their 
praises. 

But  I  kept  my  own  counsel  and  did  not  say  very 
much  uhout  the  trip,  particularly  die  way  I  got  ac- 
quainted with  Mr.  Granger,  nor  did  I  mention  this  to 
any  of  my  friends,  nor  did  I  satisfy  any  of  the  curiosity 
in  the  warehouse  as  to  how  I  managed  to  land  the  big 
order,  for  I  discovered  that  Mr.  Granger  had  not  said 
a  word  about  it  in  any  cf  his  correspondence.  One 
thing  I  did  feel  morally  sure  of,  however,  was  that  if  I 
could  keep  the  good  work  up  for  some  rime,  I  could  see  a 
good-sized  salary  looming  up  in  the  "not  far  distant 
future." 

As  it  would  be  fully  a  month  before  it  was  rime  to 
take  the  fall  trip,  Mr.  Qanman  Kud  to  me  <me  day, 
"Ariing,  there  is  not  much  to  do  about  die  wardiouM 


BEGINNINGS  OF  A  COMMERCIAL  TRAVELER  178 


just  now,  and  as  you  have  had  such  a  strenuous  trip, 
I  think  it  would  be  a  good  scheme  for  you  to  take  a 
week  or  two  off  and  go  around  and  enjoy  yourself 
aunong  your  friends,— ivhich  I  did,  and  I  had  a  mighty 
good  time.  I  remained  at  home,  for  I  now  called 
Toronto  home,  for  a  whole  month  and  started  out  for  a 
trip  North,  which  carried  me  almost  throu^  the 
winter. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


A  TRIP  THROUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST 

A  FEW  days  after  I  returned  to  the  warehouse  from 

my  vacation,  Mr.  Glassman  invited  me  into  his  private 
office  for  a  little  chat,  as  he  called  it.  He  opened  the 
conversation  by  saying,  "Mr.  Arling,  just  before  you 
arrived  in  Toronto  our  western  man  was  laid  up  with  a 
very  severe  sicknos  and  his  doctor  mformed  us  that 
he  would  be  unable  to  take  his  trip  through  the  West 
for  several  months.  As  it  was  late  in  the  season  we 
found  it  impossible  to  get  any  one  to  take  his  place, 
although  we  used  e 'v-ryraeans  at  our  command  to  do  so. 
Just  thai  you  arrivedl^m  Montreal  and»  after  a  con,- 
sultation  with  the  different  members  of  the  firm  we 
decided,  young  as  you  were,  that  we  would  let  you  try 
it  and  after  a  few  days,  if  we  found  you  were  not  suc- 
ceeding, we  would  wire  you  to  come  home  and  I  would 
take  the  trip  myself. 

"But  much  to  our  surprise,  two  days  after  you  left, 
you  sent  us  in  that  magnificent  order  from  Granger  & 
Company  and  also  made  a  marvelous  success  of  the 
trip  from  start  to  finish.  But  no  one  can  make  a  real 
success  of  anything  without  exciting  the  jealousy,  if 
not  the  envy,  of  others.  You  have  sdrred  up  this  very 
feeling  in  the  breast  of  our  western  man  whose  route  you 
covered,  and,  as  he  is  now  well  again,  demands  his  old 
route  back.   He  has  been  in  our  employ  for  many  yean 

174 


It  must  have  been  midnight  when  it  dawned  upon  me  that  we  were 
hopelessly  lost  in  this  big  forest 

See  Page  184 


A  TRIP  THROUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST  175 


and  has  proved  to  be  a  faithful,  hard-working  man  all 

the  time. 

"So,  instead  of  sending  you  West  we  are  going  to  ask 
you  to  go  North;  but  to  be  frank  with  you,  we  have 
never  had  good  results  from  that  territory.  There  is 
only  one  railroad  and  that  only  extends  for  one  hundred 
miles  along  the  front  from  Toronto  to  CoUingwood,  so 
that  the  bulk  of  your  traveling  will  have  to  be  done  with 
horses.  You  will  have  to  put  up  with  many  incoiv 
veniences  and,  at  times,  hardships,  for  you  will  be  in 
the  open  all  the  time.  I  am  the  only  one  from  our 
warehouse  that  has  ever  made  the  trip  pay. 

"It  is  a  beautiful  and  most  romantic  country  to 
travel  through  in  the  summer  time,  but  severely  cold 
in  winter  with  great  snow  storms  and  furious  blizzards 
at  times.  The  people  arc  hospital' %. kind  hearted 
and  generous,  and  once  you  gain  their  confidence  you 
can  do  a  good  business.  I  worked  up  a  fine  trade  in 
that  territory,  but  we  are  now  steadily  losing  it  and  I  am 
very  anxious  to  get  it  back." 

When  Mr.  Glassman  had  finished  describing  the 
hardships  I  would  have  to  encounter,  he  said:  "Now, 
Arling,  what  do  you  think  about  it?"  I  replied  that  I 
was  ready  to  go  anjrwhere;  that  he  had  engaged  me  to 
travel  for  him  and  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  give  me 
marching  orders  and  I  would  obey  them.  He  said, 
"I  like  your  spirit,  Arling,  and  I  am  sure  you  will 
succeed." 

I  packed  my  three  big  sample  trunks  and  took  the 
first  train  in  the  morning  for  Newmarket.  R.  Simonds 
&  Co.  was  the  largest  firm  in  Newmarket,  so  I  called 
on  them  first.   Mr.  Simonds  was  one  of  Gayton  & 


170 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


Company's  largest  customers  when  I  was  working  for 
that  firm  in  Montreal.  Of  course  I  knew  him  very  well 
and  as  I  entered  the  door  of  his  establishment  I  saw  him 
walking  down  the  center  aisle  of  the  store.  As  soon  as 
he  saw  me  he  said,  "Why,  Jack,  my  dear  boy,  vihae 
did  you  drift  from?"  and  putting  his  arm  around  my 
waist,  he  led  me  into  his  office.  When  we  were  seated 
he  said,  "How  in  the  world  did  you  come  to  this  part 
of  the  country?"  I  told  him  of  the  very  handsome  offer 
made  me  by  Glassman  &  Company  of  Toronto  to  travel 
for  them;  that  I  had  accepted  their  cffer,  when  they 
immediately  sent  me  West.  I  then  gave  him  the  de- 
tails of  my  experience  with  Mr.  Granger  of  Guelph, 
fully  instructing  me  how  to  sell  hats  and  furs  in  one 
night,  and  capped  the  climax  by  giving  me  the  largest 
order  Glassman  U  Company  had  ever  recdved  from  the 
western  route;  this  order  put  me  right  on  my  feet 
with  the  firm  and  the  information  imparted  to  me  by 
Mr.  Granger  helped  me  to  secure  good  business  all 
along  the  line. 

Mr.  Simcmds  said,  "Jack,  my  boy,  that  was  cer- 
tainly a  great  suoke  of  diplomacy  on  your  part,  and  a 
mighty  kind  act  on  the  part  of  Granger.  I  know  him 
well.  He  is  a  big-hearted,  kindly  man.  It  is  a  strange 
coincidence, your  calling  on  me  to-day,  for  I  am  expecting 
a  hat  and  fur  man  to  arrive  by  any  train  and  I  intended 
giving  him  an  order.  I  used  to  buy  from  Mr.  Glass- 
man  when  he  traveled  this  route,  but  have  not  been 
impressed  by  the  class  of  salesmen  he  sent  to  take  his 
place  after  he  retired  from  the  road.  But,  Jack,  I  will 
certainly  call  over  and  look  through  your  samples. 
Drop  in  about  eight  o'clock  and  I  will  walk  over  to  the 


A  TBIP  THROUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST  177 

hotel  with  you,  and  if  you  treat  me  as  well  as  you  did 
Granger,  I  will  try  to  reciprocate  by  giving  you  an 
order." 

^  You  can  be  sure  I  was  on  hand  promptly  at  eight 
o  clock  and  escorted  him  to  the  hotel.  I  did  with  him 
exactly  what  I  had  done  with  Granger,  handing  over 
to  him  my  printed  instructions  with  lowest  quotations 
on  every  line.  We  worked  together  over  the  samples 
until  midnight  and  started  in  again  the  next  morning 
at  nine  o'clock  and  finished  at  noon.  I  invited  him  to 
remain  to  dinncr-which  he  did,  and  after  dinner  he 
made  out  his  order  and  handed  it  to  me.  It  was  the 
largest  order  I  had  taken  up  to  that  time  with  the 
exception  of  Granger's,  for  it  was  in  the  three-thousand- 
dollar  class.  To  say  that  I  was  delighted  hardly 
expressed  my  feelings.  I  thanked  him  heartily  for  his 
order  and  mailed  it,  and  received  congratulations  from 
Mr.  Glassman  on  my  success  by  return  mail. 

I  resumed  my  journey  North,  taking  in  every  town, 
village  and  crossroad,  until  I  reached  CoUingwood  at 
the  lower  end  of  the  Georgian  Bay.  CoUingwood  was 
blessed  with  a  fairly  good  hotel.  Mr.  RawUns,  the 
propnetor,  gave  ne  a  very  nice  room.  As  soon  as  I 
saw  that  my  horses  were  well  rubbed  down,  blanketed, 
fed  and  watered,  and  with  a  good  deep  bed  of  straw  in 
their  stalls,  I  felt  comfortable.  I  was  so  fond  of  horses 
that  I  always  made  a  point  of  seeing  that  they  had 
every  attention  paid  to  diem  before  I  looked  out  for 
myself.  As  a  consequence,  diey  were  always  in  fine 
condition.  I  then  returned  to  the  hotel,  had  a  good 
supper  and  went  straight  to  bed  and  never  woke  up 
unul  seven  o'clock  the  next  morning.   The  windows  of 


178 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN! 


my  room  faced  the  Georgian  Bay,  but  were  to  blocked 
with  snow  and  ice  I  found  it  impossible  to  see  through 
the  glass. 

It  was  fortunate  for  me  that  I  had  arrived  at  Col- 
lingwood  die  night  before,  for  on  going  downstairs  I 
found  that  during  the  night  a  most  terrific  storm  had 
swept  m  from  the  bay.  The  sea  was  so  high  and  the 
waves  driven  with  such  force  against  the  shore,  that 
the  waters  almost  reached  the  veranda  of  the  hotel  and, 
added  to  this,  the  greatest  blizzard  of  the  season  was 
raging  in  bitter  fury  on  land.  The  snow  was  piled  up 
into  great  drifts  eight  to  ten  feet  high,  completely 
blocking  up  all  the  country  roads  leading  into  the  city. 
The  railroad  was  buried  deep  under  snow,  the  telegraph 
wires  were  down  all  along  die  line  and  the  poles  lying 
prostrate  and  buried  under  this  great  avalanche  of 
snow  and  ice. 

Communication  was  completely  shut  off  and  Col- 
lingwood  was  isolated  from  the  rest  of  the  outside 
world.  The  mails  were  neither  received  nor  sent  out 
of  the  city  for  several  days>  and  here  I  had  to  stay  with 
no  chance  of  leaving  for  some  time.  At  the  end  of  a 
week  the  first  mail  arrived,  brought  in  on  sleighs.  The 
train  that  carried  it  was  stalled  about  ten  miles  down 
the  track  and  was  completely  buried  in  the  snow.  The 
farmers  in  the  vicinity  came  to  the  rescue  and  volun- 
teered to  carry  it  through  as  soon  as  the  storm  abated. 
Then  they  dug  out  the  mail  car  and  two  of  the  farmers 
with  their  helpers  hitched  up  two  four-horse  teams, 
loaded  on  the  mail-bags  and  started.  How  they  ever 
managed  to  get  through  was  a  mystery.  In  some 
places  they  had  to  dig  channels  through  the  snow- 


A  TRIP  THHOUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST  IW 

drifts  for  i^t  dinancet  before  they  could  get  their 
four-in-hand  teami  to  flounder  through;  but  they  did. 
for  both  horses  and  men  had  lots  of  pluck  and  in  thirty- 
six  hours  after  getting  the  maiU  they  landed  them  at 
the  post  office  in  Collingwood. 

In  my  mail,  I  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Glassman, 
written  nx  days  previous  to  its  deUveiy,  instructing 
me  to  start  at  the  earliest  possible  moment  for  Pen- 
etanguishene.    I  found  that  I  would  have  to  return  to 
Barne  by  tram  and  then  drive  over  thirty  miles  with 
horses  to  get  there.   I  wrote  Mr.  Glassman  of  the  pre- 
dicament I  was  in,  that  I  had  been  locked  up  in  Col- 
hngwood  for  six  days,  storm-bound;  but  just  as  soon 
as  the  weather  cleared  and  the  roads  were  opened  up, 
I  would  start.    I  dismissed  my  driver  and  his  norsei 
and  managed  to  get  away  on  .he  train  the  next  day. 
It  took  all  that  day  to  negoriate  the  forty  miles  between 
CoUmgwood  and  Barrie,  but  as  soon  as  I  had  had  supper 
1  went  around  to  the  livery  stable  and  secured  a  fine 
pair  of  horses  and  bobsleigh.    Both  horses  were  snow 
white.    I  had  an  early  breakfast  next  morning,  started 
at  seven  o'clock  for  the  town  of  Penetanguishene,  and 
expected  to  arrive  there  that  evening.   But,  "Man 
proposes  and  God  disposes,"  and  I  did  not  get  there 
that  evening  nor  did  I  arrive  there  for  several  days 
later.   It  took  me  unril  two  o'clock  to  reach  a  road- 
house  at  Whites  Corners.    Up  to  ten  o'clock  that 
mornmg  it  had  been  threatening  to  storm  again.  I 
was  m  hopes  that  it  would  blow  off  toward  noon  but 
instead  the  weather  was  growing  thicker  all  the  rime 
and  about  ten-thirty  great  black  clouds  were  looming 
up  in  the  northwest,  and  sharp  gusts  of  wind  kept 


180 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


hurling  the  snow  into  the  faces  of  myself  and  horses. 
The  fences  and  all  road-marks  were  completely  buried 
under  the  avalanche  of  snow  that  had  fallen  in  the 
fonner  storm  utd  it  was  very  hard  to  guide  the  honet 
even  in  a  clear  atmosphere,  but  under  present  amdi- 
tions  it  was  doubly  hard,  for  I  could  plainly  see  that  we 
were  in  for  another  big  storm,  because  right  ahead  of 
us  and  making  straight  for  us,  was  a  solid  black  wall 
of  storm  and  clouds  reaching  from  the  very  heavens 
to  the  earth,  advancing  widi  terrific  fury  and  shutting 
off  every  bit  of  the  landscape  ahead  and  shrouding 
everything  in  the  darkness  of  night.  At  last  it  broke 
right  over  our  heads  and  came  down  with  a  roar, 
gathering  great  momentum  as  it  advanced  in  its  fury, 
sweeping  up  the  ^^naw  in  its  great  maw  and  twisting 
it  into  immense  columns  like  water  spouts. 

It  was  now  '•Imost  cwo  o'clock  and  my  poor  horses 
had  been  plodding  tnrough  the  deep  snow  since  seven 
o'clock  that  morning — seven  long,  weary  hours — and 
we  had  only  covered  fourteen  miles  out  of  the  thirty. 
It  now  began  to  look  a  little  bit  serious.  The  storm 
was  still  raging  in  its  bitterest  fury  and  although 
numbed  with  the  cold  and  chilled  to  the  very  bone,  I 
kept  moving  my  limbs  constantly  to  keep  from  freezing 
and  at  the  same  rime  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for  some 
place  of  shelter  or  habitation.  But  what  I  could  not 
see  through  the  dense  atmosphere  the  horses,  by  some 
instinct  or  intuition,  discovered,  for  they  pulled  right 
up  in  front  of  the  road-house  at  Whites  Comers.  I 
was  so  stiff  with  cold,  I  almost  fell  out  of  the  sleigh  as 
I  attempted  to  get  out — my  limbs  absolutely  refusing 
to  act.   I  succeeded  in  getting  inside  the  door  of  the 


A  TBIP  THBOUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST  181 

iMd-bouse,  to  find  that  it  was  crowded  witU  a  regu- 
lar mob  of  drunken,  iwearing  lumbermen.   The  pro- 
prietor, an  enormously  big,  huiky-loudng  man,  came 
over  to  me  and  said,  "I  am  sorry  that  you  have  arrived 
in  this  storm,  for  I  have  not  a  single  inch  of  spare  room 
m  the  house.   This  drunken  bunch  has  swarmed  down 
on  me  and  have  simply  taken  possession  of  the  house 
and  everything  in  tight  and  in  fact  are  just  running 
things  to  suit  themselves  and  I  am  powerless  to  pre- 
vent them."   I  told  him  of  the  predicament  I  wat  in, 
that  my  horses  were  half  dead  and  must  have  attention 
at  once,  or  I  would  be  stranded.   He  called  the  hostler 
over  to  where  we  were  talking— he  was  a  little  bit 
drunk  himself,  but  not  so  bad  as  the  rest  of  the  mob, 
and  said  to  him,  "Pat,  you  help  this  gentleman.** 
Pat  and  I  went  out  into  the  storm  and  drove  the  team 
right  into  the  bam  and  unhitched  the  horses  and 
gave  them  a  good  rubbing  down,  blanketed,  watered 
and  fed  them,  for  they  surely  needed  the  attention. 

I  said  to  the  hostler,  "Now,  Pat,  I  wani  you  to 
stay  by  me  while  I  am  here;  I  am  almost  famished 
myself,  and  need  something  to  eat  right  away;  so  you 
rustle  around  and  find  the  cook  and  get  me  something 
to  eat  for  I  have  not  had  a  bite  since  six  o'clock  this 
mornmg.  He  braced  up  at  once  when  I  handed  him 
a  dollar  bill,  and  certainly  did  all  he  could  to  help  me. 
The  forced  exertion  and  exercise,  looking  after  the 
horses,  brought  back  circulation  and  I  could  feel  the 
blood  pulsaring  through  my  body  and  limbs,  giving  me 
a  fresh  grip  on  life. 

Pat  called  me  into  the  kitchen— the  only  quiet  room 
in  the  house.   He  had  pressed  the  cook  into  service  by 


182 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


dividing.my  tip  with  him,  and  between  them  they  got 
me  a  very  good  lunch  of  ham  and  eggs,  toast  and  tea. 
I  felt  much  better  after  I  had  partaken  of  the  lunch,  and 
particularly  so  after  drinking  three  cups  of  the  hot  tea. 
Hiis  helped  to  brace  me  up  wonderfully  and  I  began 
to  feel  Uke  myself  again.  I  remained  at  this  place 
until  four  o'clock  and  then  made  up  my  mind  I  could 
stand  it  no  longer  on  account  of  the  pandemonium  that 
those  drunken  lumbermen  were  kicking  up  in  the  bar- 
room. The  drunken  orgy  was  increasing  in  intensity 
every  moment  and  I  was  fearful  that  before  long  it 
would  end  in  murder,  for  the  more  they  drank  the  more 
they  became  like  wild  beasts  and  no  sooner  was  one 
fight  over  than  another  one  began.  So  I  decided 
to  face  the  storm  and  take  my  chances  on  reaching 
Penetanguishene,  for  to  stay  in  that  drunken  hole 
another  hour  was  simply  an  impossibility.  I  said  to 
Pat  (who  was  now  staying  right  by  me),  "Pat,  I  can't 
stand  this  any  longer;  that  drunken  bunch  will  drive 
me  crazy  if  I  stay  here  another  hour.  I  am  going  to 
make  another  start  for  Penetanguishene,  so  come  on 
out  to  the  bam  and  help  me  hitch  up  the  horses."  He 
tried  hard,  and  I  believe  he  was  honest  and  sincere  in 
his  aborts,  to  dissuade  me  from  making  the  attempt. 
He  said  that  the  storm  was  still  raging  as  fierce  as  ever 
and  was  very  much  afraid  that  it  would  last  all  night. 
But  all  his  persuasive  Irish  eloquence  fell  on  deaf  ears, 
for  I  had  fuUy  made  up  my  mind  to  get  out  of  that  hell- 
hole, no  matter  what  the  consequences  were.  I  handed 
him  'some  money  and  told  ^im  to  go  into  the  bar  and 
pay  my  bill. 

As  soon  as  he  returned  we  went  out  to  the  bam  and 


A  TBIP  THROUGH  FB06T  AND  Tl 


T  18S 


found  the  horses  in  fine  fettle  after  their  fine  feed  of 
com  and  hay.  We  hitched  them  up  and  I  started  for 
Penetanguishene  right  in  the  teeth  of  as  bad  a  storm  as 
I  ever  faced.  The  horses  were  feeling  good  after  their 
two  hours'  rest  and  we  made  straight  for  the  big  woods, 
as  the  road  ran  in  that  direction,  and  I  expected  we 
would  not  have  as  hard  going,  as  we  would  have  the 
benefit  of  being  sheltered  by  the  forest  trees. 

It  was  six  o'clock  before  we  struck  the  timber  line, 
but  no  road  nor  fence  was  visible;  everything  was  cov- 
ered with  a  deep  blanket  of  snow,  which  wiped  out  every 
landmark.  Fortunately,  the  wind  had  shifted  and  was 
now  blowing  from  the  northwest  and  did  not  strike 
us  straight  in  the  face  as  it  did  when  blowing  directly 
from  the  north.  I  could  now  see  a  little  bit  better  and 
was  enabled  to  pick  out  certain  trees  at  a  distance 
ahead  and  drive  straight  for  them,  then  pick  up  an- 
other mark  and  make  a  bee-line  for  that,  and  so  on. 
But  as  it  was  almost  dark  and  the  atmosphere  filled 
with  driving  snow,  it  became  harder  to  do  this,  as  night 
came  on. 

By  this  time  I  was  beginning  to  get  a  bit  nervous, 
for  I  was  now  convinced  that  I  had  lost  the  road  and 
did  not  know  where  we  were.  I  then  decided  to  let 
the  horses  have  their  heads  and  see  if  they  could  not 
pick  out  the  roads  themselves,  so  slackened  the  reins 
and  urged  them  to  go  ahead.  I  kept  talking  to  them 
all  the  time  cheering  them  up  a^s  well  as  I  could,  al- 
though I  certainly  needed  cheering  up,  and  a  good 
deal  of  it,  myself. 

Well,  we  plodded  along,  the  horses  stumbling,  and 
sometimes  falling,  but  they  always  managed  to  r^ain 


184 


THE  MAS3NG  OF  A  CANADIAN 


their  feet  without  my  help.  I  had  completely  lost  all 
track  of  the  time,  for  my  hands  were  altogether  too 
cold  to  take  my  watch  out  of  my  pocket,  but  I  knew  it 
must  be  getting  very  late,  for  we  had  been  trudging 
along,  plowing  our  way  through  the  heavy  roads  and 
drifts  for  a  long  time.  All  at  once  the  horses  came  to  a 
full  stop,  and  on  examining  the  landmarks,  I  found  to 
my  utter  dismay  that  we  had  been  traveling  in  a  circle 
and  the  horses  had  brought  me  right  back  to  the 
place  from  which  we  had  started  when  I  allowed  them 
to  have  their  heads  and  find  the  way  themselves. 

It  must  have  been  midnight  when  it  dawned  upon 
me  that  we  were  hopelessly  lost  in  this  big  forest,  and 
to  add  to  my  terror,  I  could  hear  the  baying  and  howling 
of  the  timber  wolves;  but  their  voices  sounded  as 
though  they  were  a  long  distance  off.  It  had  a  mighty 
stimulating  effect  on  the  horses,  for  the  moment  they 
heard  the  sounds  they  seemed  to  recognize  them  at  once 
and  they  were  off,  and  nothing  could  hold  them.  Cold 
and  numbed  as  I  was,  I  now  kept  a  good  grip  on  the 
rans;  my  eyes  were  accustomed  to  the  darkness  by 
this  time,  and  I  saved  the  horses  from  some  pretty  bad 
fsdls,  and  the  sleigh  from  being  upset  several  times. 

The  harking  and  howling  of  the  wolves  was  becoming 
mpre  distinct  every  few  moments,  but  instead  of  filling 
me  with  terror  as  I  always  thought  it  would,  all  my 
fitting  blood  was  up  in  a  momentj;  for  the  more  they 
howled,  the  more  angry  I  became,  and  I  wanted  them 
to  come  on.  I  was  well  armed,  with  two  large  Colt's 
revolvers,  and  cold  as  I  was  I  managed  to  get  them 
oMt  of  their  holsters  and  saw  that  every  cylinder  was 
loaded  with  ball  cartridge — they  were  seven-shooters. 


A  TRIP  THROUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST  185 


line 


and  automatic  repeaters  at  that.  I  placed  them  on  the 
seat  of  the  sleigh,  one  on  each  side  of  me,  where  I 
could  get  at  them  in  a  moment,  but  had  them  pro- 
tected from  the  weather  by  covering  them  with  the 
buffalo  robe. 

When  all  this  was  done,  I  waited  for  them  to  catch 
up  and  begin  the  attack,  and  promised  myself  if  they 
did  pluck  up  courage  enough  to  do  so,  those  fourteen 
bullets  would  be  planted  where  they  would  do  the  most 
good,  for  I  was  a  dead  shot  with  a  gun— but  they  never 
came. 

What  caused  me  the  most  concern  was  the  intense 
cold  which  penetrated  my  whole  body;  my  limbs  were 
getting  more  stiff  every  moment,  and  I  had  but  little 
sense  of  feeling  in  my  hands  and  arms,  and  was  so 
numbed  with  the  cold  I  began  to  be  afraid  that  if  the 
wolves  caught  up,  I  would  be  so  helpless  I  would  be 
unable  to  defend  myself  and  they  would  find  me  an 
easy  victim.   The  only  thing  which  kept  life  in  my 
poor  horses,  for  they  were  almost  ready  to  drop  in 
their  tracks,  was  the  occasional  howling  a  id  barking 
of  the  wolves;  these  sounds  would  start  them  into  a 
perfect  frenzy  of  excitement,  and  also  helped  me  by 
keeping  my  thoughts  off  myself,  for  I  fully  realized  -hat 
I  was  gradually  but  surely  succumbing  to  the  cold  and 
that  if  help  did  not  come  very  soon  it  would  be  too  late. 

The  storm  was  now  so  great,— more  like  a  cyclone 
than  an  ordinary  wind  storm  or  blizzard,  that  the  snow 
seemed  to  advance  in  solid  banks,  or  walls,  and  blot 
everything  out  of  sight  and  when  one  of  these  extra 
outbursts  of  fury  would  pass  and  you  could  again  see  a 
Uttle  bit  ahead  of  you,  even  the  trees  took  on  fan- 


186 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


tastic  shapes  and  appeared  like  great  giants  or  like 
ferocious  animak  of  aU  lands  ready  to  attack  and  rend 
you  to  pieces. 

Weird  fancies  were  passing  through  my  mind; 
my  brain,  like  the  storm,  was  in  a  whirl  of  excitement. 
But  a  sudden  sharp  jolt  of  the  sleigh  brought  me  back 
to  my  senses,  for  the  horses,  more  than  ever  excited, 
had  given  a  sudden  plunge  forward  and  had  almost 
jerked  themselves  free  from  the  sleigh.  Their  heads 
were  hdd  high  and  their  ears  pointed  straight  ahead 
as  they  plunged  through  the  snow,  for  they  saw  some- 
thing in  the  distance  that  I  could  not  discover  and  were 
making  all  the  headway  they  could  to  get  to  it  and 
using  every  bit  of  energy  left  in  their  poor  wearied 
bodies  to  reach  something  they  saw  through  the  storm. 

After  concentrating  my  gaze  ahead  for  some  time, 
I  at  last,  to  my  great  relief,  saw  a  twinkling  light  in  the 
distance  and  very  shortly  afterward  the  horses  pulled 
up  in  front  of  an  old-fashioned  country  inn.  I  tried 
to  get  out  of  the  sleigh,  but  found  I  could  not  move  hand 
or  foot.  I  was  simply  numbed,  or  frozen,  into  the 
fixed  position  I  had  occupied  so  long  on  the  seat  of  the 
sleigh,  with  my  arms  stretched  forward  and  the  reins 
grasped  tightly  in  my  hands,  but  was  powerless  to  move. 
Fortunately,  I  had  not  lost  my  voice,  so  I  shouted  as 
loud  as  I  could  and  at  last  they  heard  me,  and  a  man 
came  downstairs  and  opened  the  front  door.  He 
seemed  to  be  annoyed  at  being  wakened  out  of  his 
sleep  at  that  unseemly  hour,  for  I  found  out  later  that 
it  was  three  o'clock.  He  yelled  out:  "Why  don't  you 
get  out  of  your  sleigh  and  come  in  ?  Do  you  want  me  to 
come  out  into  the  storm  and  carry  you  in?"   I  said, 


A  TRIP  THROUGH  FROST  AT^D  TEMPEST  187 


"I  guess  that  is  about  the  size  of  it,  for  I  am  unable 

move." 


to 


As  soon  as  he  found  out  that  I  was  really  in  need 
of  assisunce,  he  ran  upstairs  and  called  several  men 

and  women,  and  they  were  soon  on  the  scene  to  do 
all  they  could  to  help  me.  They  lifted  me  out  of  the 
sleigh,  still  in  the  fixed  position  I  have  described,  and 
carried  me  into  the  barroom  and  laid  me  down  on  some 
buffalo  robes  they  had  spread  on  the  floor.  I  asked 
them  to  have  the  horses  looked  after  at  once,  for  I  was 
afraid  they  would  die  if  left  unattended  to. 

Mr.  Ward,  for  that  was  the  name  of  the  hotel- 
keeper,  told  me  not  to  fret  about  anything,  but  to  keep 
perfectly  quiet  and  try  to  get  my  nerves  back;  that 
his  men  had  taken  both  the  horses  and  sleigh  into  the 
big  bam  and  that  the  horses  were  being  well  looked 
after.  They  stripped  me  and  began  rubbing,  trying 
to  get  the  frost  out  of  my  body,  and  found  that  both 
my  hands  were  frozen  and  parts  of  both  arms,  and  one 
of  my  legs.  It  took  them  a  long  time  to  rub  the  frost 
out,  but  as  soon  as  they  had  succeeded  I  felt  like  a 
pincushion,  and  as  though  my  whole  body  was  filled 
with  pins  and  needles  puncturing  every  part  of  my 
anatomy,  and  I  was  filled  with  pain  of  the  most  excru- 
ciating description. 

They  were  extremely  kind  and  left  nothing  undone 
to  add  to  my  comfort  and  help  my  recovery.  All  the 
work  of  rubbing  the  frost  out  and  restoring  circulation 
was  performed  in  this  cold  barroom,  and  as  soon  as 
they  thought  it  safe  to  do  so,  they  wrapped  me  up  in 
blankets  and  carried  me  up  to  a  warmer  room.  Mrs. 
Ward  brought  me  in  some  hot  tea,  fried  eggs  and  warm 


'r'-'l 


188 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


toast.  I  thought  it  the  finest  total  I  had  ever  eaten. 
As  soor  as  I  had  eaten,  and  drank  the  hot  tea»  I  fell 

into  a  sound  sleep  and  did  not  wake  up  until  noon. 
T  found  Mrs.  Ward  sitting  beside  me.  She  was  very 
sympathetic  and  a  kind,  motherly  looking  woman. 
As  soon  as  she  saw  that  I  was  awake  she  asked  me  how 
I  felt.  I  told  her  I  never  felt  so  sore  and  stiff*  in  my  life, 
and  that  every  joint  in  my  body  was  racked  with  pain 
and  if  I  tried  to  move  I  felt  as  though  I  was  going  to 
break  apart.  She  said,  "You  must  remember,  Mr. 
Arling,  you  have  had  a  very  narrow  escape  and  we  are 
all  sure  that  you  could  not  have  held  out  much  longer. 
It  was  certainly  providential  that  you  saw  the  light  in 
the  window  of  our  inn  just  when  you  did,  for  in  another 
hour  it  would  have  been  too  late.  We  have  sent  for 
the  doctor  who  lives  five  miles  from  here.  He  is  a  very 
good  man  and  a  very  skillful  physician  and  as  soon  as  he 
arrives  and  you  are  placed  in  his  hands,  we  are  satis- 
fied you  will  be  all  right  in  a  few  days."  Just  then  Mr. 
Ward  came  into  the  room,  and  seeing  that  I  was 
awake  he  said,  "I  am  mighty  glad  to  see  you  looking 
so  much  brighter.  You  are  going  to  get  well  and  pull 
through  all  right,  but,  my  boy,  you  had  a  mighty  close 
call."  These  people  were  kindness  itself.  I  had  cer- 
tainly fallen  into  the  hands  of  good  Samaritans.  T^f^y 
had  carried  me  upstairs  as  soon  as  I  fell  asleep  ai  '  ^^ut 
me  into  a  most  comfortable  bed  in  their  best  bed- 
room, a  cheerful,  neat,  and  nicely  furnished  room;  a 
log  fire  was  sending  out  warmth  and  comfort  and  the 
whole  atmosphere  of  the  place  was  rf  tful  and  com- 
fortable. Mr.  Ward  told  me  afterwards  that  I  had 
slept  so  soundly  after  I  had  eaten  the  little  supper  they 


A  TRIP  TBBOUGH  FBOSr  AND  TEMPEST  189 

had  given  me,  that  they  carried  me  upstairs  and  put 
me  mto  thw  comfortable  bed  and  I  had  slept  through 
the  whole  performance. 

While  we  were  talking,  the  doctor  walked  into  the 
room.    He  was  a  kind,  but  dignified-looking  elderly 
man,  one  of  the  old  school  and  type  of  family  doctor 
He  gave  me  a  thorough  examination,  feeling  my  pulse 
and  takmg  my  temperature,  which  he  found  very  high 
and  told  the  Wards  that  I  must  be  kept  very  quiet  for 
several  days,  that  my  nervous  system  had  received 
a  very  severe  shock,  and,  without  absolute  quiet,  it 
might  take  a  considerable  time  for  me  to  recover  I 
told  them  the  only  thing  that  worried  me  was  to  know 
where  I  was;  that  I  had  left  Barrie  at  seven  o'clock  the 
previous  morning  to  go  to  Penetanguishene.  "Why  " 
said  the  doctor,  "you  are  a  long  distance  out  of  yoir 
way.  ^  You  are  fully  twenty  miles  from  the  Pene- 
tanguishene road;  you  are  in  the  village  of  Coldwater 
not  far  from  Orilia."  ' 
I  also  told  the  doctor  that  I  was  very  anxious  to  get 
word  to  my  firm  at  Toronto,  for  I  knew  they  would 
be  anxious  to  know  where  I  was,  so  the  doctor  sat 
down  and  wrote  a  long  letter  at  once  to  Mr  Glass- 
man,  telhng  him  of  my  experience  from  Barrie  to 
Whites  Comers,   and,  after  leaving  there  at  four 

0  clock  m  the  teeth  of  the  big  blizzard,  losing  my  way  in 
the  forest  and  turning  up  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing at  Coldwater,  more  dead  than  alive,  that  I  had 
received  every  attention  at  the  inn  and  that  I  was 
gradually  gaining  strength  and  that  it  was  his  opinion 

1  would  be  able  to  resume  my  journey  in  about  one 
week  s  ame. 


190 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


Mr.  Glassman  replied  immediately,  thanking  the 
kind  doctor  and  Mr.  and  Mra.  Ward  for  their  great 
kindness  and  instructing  them  to  spare  no  expense  but 
to  do  everything  in  their  power  to  help  me  back  tc 
my  normal  condition  and  on  no  account  to  permit  me 
to  resume  the  journey  until  perfectly  satisfied  that  I 
was  physically  fit  to  undertake  it  without  further 

risk  to  myself. 

I  was  laid  up  at  Coldwater  for  seven  days,  and  for 
nx  days  of  this  time  confined  to  my  bed,  and  during  the 
best  part  of  this  time  suffering  with  severe  pains  in  all 
parts  of  my  body.  The  doctor  was  untiring  in  his 
efforts  to  make  me  well  and  no  one  could  have  had 
better  care  and  nursing  than  I  received  from  the  Wards. 
If  I  had  been  their  own  son  I  could  not  have  been 
treated  better. 

On  the  eighth  day  after  the  blizzard,  I  began  to  feel 
like  myself  again  and  the  doctor  gave  me  a  clean  bill  of 
health  and  permission  to  resume  the  journey.   I  could 
hardly  find  words  to  express  my  thanks  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ward  for  the  kind,  tender  care  they  had  given  me  from 
the  rime  I  was  carried  into  the  inn  until  the  rime  I  was 
able  to  leave;  also  to  the  doctor  for  the  successful  way 
he  handled  my  case.    And,  last  but  not  least,  to  the 
hostler  for  his  kindness  and  for  the  wonderful  way  'le 
treated  the  horses,  for  they  were  almost  dead  when  he 
took  charge  of  them  and  would  have  died  if  left  in  the 
hands  of  a  man  less  skillful  in  the  knowledge  of  horses 
than  he  was.   He  hitched  them  up  to  the  sleigh  and 
drove  them  up  to  the  front  door  of  the  inn  as  I  was 
saying  good-bye  to  the  Wards.   Every  one  in  the 
house,  down  to  the  kitchen  help,  turned  out  to  see  me 


A  TRIP  TBS0U6H  FBOST  AND  TEMPEST  101 

oflF.  Jack,  the  hostler,  brought  the  horses  up  to  the 
door  on  the  jump;  they  were  so  full  of  life,  they  acted 
like  a  pair  of  young  colts.  1  got  into  the  sleigh,  and 
waving  them  all  a  farewell  with  my  whip,  drove  off, 
makmg  a  straight  bee-line  for  the  woods  where  I 
had  all  my  troubles  just  one  week  back. 

I  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  my  way  this  time,  as 
Ae  weather  had  settled  and  had  been  fine  ever  since 
the  blizzard  in  which  I  had  nearly  lost  my  life.   I  had 
aheays,  up  to  this  time,  experienced  a  thorou^  loath- 
mg  and  horror  for  wolves,  and  thought  of  them  as  the 
most  bloodthirsty  and  treacherous  beasts  that  prowled 
through  the  forests,  but  now,  in  traveling  through  the 
same  woods  in  which  they  had  given  me  and  the  horses 
such  a  scare,  I  felt  like  taking  my  hat  off  to  them 
and  thankmg  them  for  saving  my  life,  for  had  it  not 
been  for  their  incessant  howling,  barking  and  yelping, 
both  the  horses  and  myself  would  have  succumbed, 
but  they  put  new  life  and  vigor  into  our  veins  and 
muscles  by  inspiring  us  with  terror  and  the  fearful 
horror  o'  falling  into  their  clutches,  that  they  filled 
both  myself  and  the  horses  with  such  a  powerful  fear 
that  it  enabled  us  to  put  forth  almost  superhuman 
efforts  to  save  our  lives,  and  the  fright  never  left  us 
until  we  reached  the  inn  at  Coldwater.   And,  strange 
to  say,  all  through  that  night  of  dreadful  fear  we  never 
caught  sight  of  a  single  wolf,  but  hearing  them  was 
enough  and  all  that  was  required  to  frighten  us  into 
Herculean  efforts  to  escape.    Therefore,  I  forgave  the 
wolves  for  frightening  us  almost  out  of  our  senses  and 
at  the  same  rime  thanked  them  for  saving  our  lives. 
After  all  the  drawbacks,  I  arrived  safely  at  Pene- 


192 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


tanguishene  and  transacted  the  business  satisfactorily, 
although  two  weeks  late  in  doing  it.  The  weather 
was  now  delightful,  the  sun  shining  brightly  by  day  and 
the  moon  by  night.  I  started  South  on  the  home- 
stretch, having  visited  all  the  places  on  my  irineraiy, 
and  had  the  sarisfacrion  of  knowing  that  I  had  accom- 
plished my  purpose  in  making  a  successful  trip  through 
the  North. 

The  drive  to  Barrie,  this  time,  was  perfectly  delight- 
ful, especially  so  in  passing  through  the  virgin  forests. 
The  trees  were  weighted  down  with  snow  and  the 
branches  had  the  appearance  of  endless  chains  of  mag- 
nolia blooms  festooned  so  that  they  formed  beautiful 
arches  over  the  roads,  the  rips  of  the  branches  drooping 
from  the  arches  like  ostrich  plumes,  waving  back  and 
forth,  silently  aided  by  the  gentle  breeie  which  caused 
them  to  sway  so  gracefully. 

On  my  arrival  at  Whites  Comers  I  was  met  at  th  2 
door  of  the  hotel  by  the  proprietor,  who  made  a  most 
profuse  apology  for  the  condition  I  found  his  house 
in  on  my  way  out,  when  the  drunken  lumbermen  had 
taken  possession  of  it.  "But  what  in  the  world  kept 
you  so  long  in  the  back  country"  he  asked.  When 
I  told  him,  he  said,  "Mr.  Arling,  I  was  never  so  glad 
in  my  life  to  see  anyone  drive  up  to  my  door  as  I  was 
to  see  you  to-day,  for  I  was,  and  have  been,  afraid  ever 
since  diat  you  had  been  lost  in  the  big  storm."  Both 
he  and  his  wife  insisted  that  I  should  remain  overnight 
with  them  and  resume  my  journey  in  the  morning,  which 
I  was  glad  to  do,  as  I  was  very  tired. 

I  got  an  early  start  in  the  morning  for  Barrie  and 
reached  there  in  two  hours  instead  of  seven  hours, 


A  TRIP  THROUGH  FROST  AND  TEBIFEST  IM 


which  it  took  to  negotiate  the  distance  on  my  way  out, 
in  the  big  storm.   I  returned  the  hones  to  the  Kveiy 

man  at  Barrie  and  he  was  mighty  glad  to  get  them  back 
in  such  fine  fettle,  for  he  said  he  had  almost  given  up 
finding  them,  thinking  both  they  and  myself  had  been 
lost  during  the  big  blizzard.  I  paid  his  bill  and  boarded 
the  noon  train  for  Toronto. 

I  went  at  once  to  the  warehouse  and  met  Mr.  Glass- 
man  in  his  office.    He  was  mighry  glad  to  see  me. 
Before  talking  business,  he  and  the  other  members 
of  the  firm  made  me  give  them  all  the  details  of  my  trip 
through  the  storm  from  Whites  Comers  to  Coldwater. 
When  I  had  finished  relating  my  experience,  and  the 
others  had  retired,  Mr.  Glassman  said,  "Arling,  you 
did  fine  on  this  trip— better  than  any  other  salesman 
covering  the  same  groun^'  for  us,  and  your  returns 
equal  anything  I  ever  accomplished  myself.   As  you 
had  such  a  strenuous  time,  I  think  you  ought  to  take 
a  rest  for  a  week  or  two.  We  are  not  very  busy  just 
now,  so  go  and  have  a  good  rime  and  just  let  business 
drop  out  of  your  mind.   As  soon  as  I  find  we  really 
need  you,  I  will  drop  you  a  line  at  your  hotel."  I 
thanked  him  and  as  I  was  shaking  his  hand  prepara- 
tory to  leaving,  who  should  walk  into  the  office  but 
my  brother  Chris.    He  had  only  arrived  the  night 
before  from  England.    He  had  met  Mr.  Glassman  that 
morning,  but  Mr.  Glassman  was  so  much  taken  up 
with  my  adventures  in  the  North,  he  had  forgotten  to 
teU  me  of  his  arrival,  but  he  had  told  Chris  that  I  was 
expected  that  afternoon,  and  also  of  my  success  on  the 
'>»?estem  trip,  and  that  I  had  repeated  it  in  the  North, 
tie  also  told  hir'  of  my  experience  in  the  big  blizzard 


IM        THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

Mid  how  nearly  I  came  to  loring  my  Ufe.   Of  courw, 
Chrit  and  I  vere  mighty  glad  to  see  each  other  again. 
He  took  one  of  my  bags,  I  took  the  other,  and  we 
walked  over  to  my  hotel  together.   We  sat  chattmg 
with  each  other  until  dinner  time— we  had  so  much  to 
talk  about.   He  told  me  that  on  hia  arrival,  the  day 
before,  he  had  made  his  reports  to  Mr.  Durand  and  had 
informed  him  that  he  was  going  to  take  a  couple  of 
weeks  ofF  to  rest  up,  and,  much  to  Mr.  Durand  s  cha- 
grin, he  was  compelled  to  agree.   Chris  said  that  he 
was  getting,  mighty  tired  of  Mr.  Durand's  high  and 
mighty,  seL-opinionated  way  of  acting,  and  another 
thing  was  that  he  had  met  my  friend  Charlie  Hurd 
that  morning,  and  Charlie  told  him  of  the  way  uncle 
had  treated  me  the  Piorning  1  had  arrived  from  Mon- 
treal.  This,  and  other  things,  rankled  in  Chris's 
mind,  and  he  made  up  his  mind  to  assert  himself,  giving 
Mr.  Durand  to  understand  that  he  was  no  longer  .1 
small  boy,  but  a  full-grown  man  and  deserving  of  a 
certain  amount  of  consideration  at  his  hands  and 
expected  to  have  it  from  that  time  on. 

Chris  knew  that  I  was  anxious  to  hear  of  his  travels 
m  Europe,  and  I  certainly  was,  for  I  was  most  anxious 
to  travel  there  myself  some  day,  and,  after  listening  to 
his  recital  of  travel  and  adventure  in  the  different 
countries  of  Europe,  my  mind  was  more  firmly  made  up 
than  ever  to  seize  the  first  opportunity  that  presented 

itself  and  go. 

The  weather  was  exceedingly  fino  the  following  two 
weeks  and  the  roads  good,  so  Chris  and  I  spent  a  good 
part  of  the  time  sleigh  driving,  and  as  we  drove  talked 
of  the  old  times  in  Montreal.   The  evenings  were 


A  TRIP  THBOUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST  185 

prindpany  spent  u  the  hornet  of  our  many  lady  friendi, 
where  we  were  always  lure  of  a  hearty  welcome,  and 
enjoyed  ourselves  singing,  dancing,  or  listening  to 
stories  told  by  the  humorous  members  of  the  party.  Of 
cottrie  large  fleighing  parties  were  very  popular,  and 
conddered  one  of  the  winter's  chief  attractions,  and  we 
managed  to  enjoy  many  of  them  during  our  vacation. 
The  two  weeks  soon  sped  away  and  one  evening  on  my 
return  to  the  hotel  I  found  a  note  from  Mr.  Classman 
asking  me  to  report  the  next  morning  at  the  office,  as 
he  wanted  me  to  start  at  once  for  Owen  Sound  and 
Kincardine,  to  look  after  some  business  which  needed 
immediate  attention.  This  brought  my  vacation  to 
an  abrupt  ending. 

I  called  at  the  warehouse  next  morning,  and  Mr. 
Glassman  informed  me  of  the  business  that  needed 
immediate  attention  at  Owen  Sound,  Southampton, 
and  Kincardine,  giving  me  full  instructions  and  a 
power  of  attorney  to  act  in  his  place.  So  I  took  the 
train  that  afternoon  for  Colling  'ood,  at  the  end  of  the 
Northern  Railroad,  and  that  evening  called  on  my  old 
friend  Chessman,  the  livery-stable  keeper,  and  he  fitted 
me  out  with  a  fine  pair  of  Canadian  ponies  and  a  com- 
fortable bobsleigh  with  bearskin  robes,  one  covering 
the  seat  of  the  sleigh,  and  another,  a  large  lap-robe  lined 
with  red  flannel,  and  very  warm.  In  the  box  under  the 
seat  was  a  water-pail,  halters,  blankets  for  the  horses, 
and  all  necessary  supplies  for  a  long  journey  through  the 
back  country. 

The  next  morning  I  made  an  early  start,  reaching 
Meaford,  the  first  stop  on  my  itinerary,  at  noon,  in 
time  for  dinner.   I  booked  two  good  orders  here  and 


196         THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


the  nott  morning  was  up  bright  and  early  and  off  for 
Owen  Sound,  which  I  reached  in  time  for  supper.  It 
took  me  two  days  to  finish  up  the  business  Mr.  Glass- 
man  had  intrusted  me  with  at  Owen  Sound,  as  well 
as  taking  some  good  orders,  and  I  packed  up  before 
going  to  bed,  so  that  i  could  get  off  early  the  next  morn- 
ing for  Southampton. 

The  roads  were  still  heavy  and  the  traveling  was 
hard  on  the  horses,  but  they  were  full  of  grit  as  all 
French-Canadian  ponies  are.  This  particular  pair  were 
jet  black,  with  long  tails  and  manes,  chunky  built  and 
very  strong;  they  were  a  perfect  pair  of  beauties,  good 
travelers  and  willing  workers.  I  became  very  much 
attached  to  them — so  much  so  that  a  short  time  after- 
wards I  purchased  them,  for  I  found  it  much  cheaper 
to  own  my  horses  than  to  hire  them,  and  another  good 
reason  was  that  you  get  to  know  your  own  horses  and 
they  very  soon  begin  to  know  you,  and  if  you  only  treat 
a  Canadian  pony  well,  he  will  grow  very  fond  of  you 
and  become  a  great  pet.  After  a  while  this  pair  of 
Canadian  beauties  would  follow  me  around  like  a  pair 
of  dogs  and  were  as  pla3rful  as  kittens,  sticking  their 
noses  into  my  face,  begging  for  sugar.  I  always  carried 
a  few  lumps  in  my  pocket  for  th-^m  and  they  soon  be- 
came acquainted  with  the  pockei  1  carried  them  in,  and 
when  I  passed  in  front  of  them  or  allowed  them  to  run 
loose  in  the  barnyard,  or  pasture,  they  would  try  to 
get  their  snouts  into  my  pocket  and  help  themselves. 
I  was  in  the  habit  of  talking  to  them  as  we  drove  along, 
and  they  almost  understood  every  word  I  uttered.  I 
never  used  a  whip  on  them,  but  if  I  wanted  them  to 
put  on  a  little  more  speed,  all  I  had  to  do  was  to  crack 


A  TRIP  THROUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST  197 

the  whip  and  whistle,  letting  the  reins  slacken  a  bit  and 

say     Now,  kitten-,  get  a  rak  on,"  and  away  they 
would  go  as  ha-  py  as  iarks,  .nd  take  as  much  fun  out 
of  It  as  ,f  the,  apd  I  v  ei  .  out  on  a  regular  spree. 
1  had  to  chmb  some  pretty  steep  hills,  or  mountains, 
during  the  day;  one  of  these  hills  which  I  had  to  nego- 
tiate was  particularly  steep  and  wound  around  the  side 
o  a  mountain.    In  some  places  k  had  been  cut  or 
blasted  out  of  the  solid  rock,  leaving  a  perpendicular 
flat-faced  wall  of  rock  on  the  right,  and  looking  over  the 
left  edge  of  the  road  you  could  look  down  a  great  dis- 
tance into  the  valley  below,  a  sudden  and  precipitous 
drop  of  several  hundred  feet.    The  horses  must  have 
been  over  this  road  many  times  before,  for  they  kept  as 
far  away  from  the  edge  as  possible  and  hugged  the 
waU  of  rock  on  the  right  all  the  way  to  the  top.  Thev 
took  no  chances  of  being  hurled  over  the  edge  into  the 
valley. 

About  half  way  up  this  mountain  road  I  saw  a  very 
beauuful  natural  phenomenon.    It  was  nothing  less 
than  a  perfectly  formed  arch  of  water;  the  stream  shot 
out  with  great  force  from  a  round  hole  in  the  side  or 
center  of  the  perpendicular  rock  on  the  right,  and  about 
thirty  feet  above  my  head.  The  force  or  pressure  was  so 
great  that  It  not  only  cleared  the  road,  but  fully  twenty 
teet  beyond  the  edge  of  the  precipice  on  mv  left,  falling 
into  Ae  valley  below.    It  was  wonderful,  marvelous— 
a  perfect  arch  of  sparkling  crystal  water  glistening  in 
the  sunlight  like  myriads  of  diamonds,  producing  a 
lairy  gossamer  sheen  of  spray  resembling  the  stars 
01  the  night  as  it  silently  kept  up  its  steady  onward 
course  until  swallowed  up  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 


198         THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

typical  of  eternity,— without  beginning  and  without 
end,  for  no  man  has  ever  discovered  its  nse  or  its 
source.   It  did  not  drip  a  particle  of  spray  on  the 
road,  as  the  pressure  was  so  powerful.   I  pulled  up  my 
horses  and  watched  this  wonderful  freak  of  nature  for 
lome  time.   This  stream  of  water  was  about  the  thick- 
ness of  a  man's  arm  and  was  forced  out  by  some  unseen 
power  from  the  very  center  of  this  blank  waU  of  granite 
rock  and  hurled  by  some  irresistible  force,  spanning  the 
road  and  dropping  into  a  hole  in  the  ground  m  the  valley 
below  and  lost  or  swallowed  up  by  the  earth. 

The  view  from  this  point  was  wonderfully  grand 
and  inspiring,  taking  in  the  spacious  valley  dotte^  witfi 
cultivated  farms  in  aU  the  clearings,  fenced  m  by  the 
silent  forest  on  every  side.  Great  hills,  or  mountams, 
standing  like  giant  sentinels,  surroundmg,  guarding 
and  sheltering  this  beautiful  valley  from  storm  and  wind 
and  forming  a  background  perfect  in  symmetrical 
beauty  and  majesty,-it  was  a  sight  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. .      J      •  f 

On  reaching  the  top  of  the  mountain  and  resting  tor  a 
short  time  on  the  broad  table-land  at  the  apex,  after  the 
weary  climb,  the  view  became  more  extensive  and 
beautiful;  looking  backwards  the  eye  could  take  m 
the  waters  of  the  Georgian  Bay,  almost  covered  with 
ice,  and  the  winding  road  over  which  we  had  traveled 
passing  in  and  out  through  the  hills  and  trailing  along 
through  the  valleys,  and  forests  of  snow-capped  trees, 
the  branches  swaying  in  the  wind  like  colossal  ostnch 
plumes,  and  in  the  opposite  direction  the  view  was 
bounded  by  the  turbulent  waters  of  Lake  Huron,  the 
intervening  space  filled  in  with  foretti.  hills  and  vaUeys, 


A  TRIP  THROUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST  199 

dotted  here  and  there  with  farms  and  at  long  distances 
apart,  small  villages. 

But  my  reverie  was  brought  to  a  sudden  termina- 
tion by  seemg  something  I  was  not  looking  for;  great 
masses  of  angry-looking  black  clouds  looming  up  in 
the  distance  sweeping  in  from  the  lake.   The  atmos- 
phere had  changed  and  it  had  become  cold,  the  sun 
was  hidden  behind  the  dark,  threatening  storm  clouds, 
and  a  pall  of  darkness  settled  down  so  that  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  see  anything  but  objects  in  the  near 
vicinity.    I  realized  at  once  that  I  would  have  to  pre- 
pare to  face  another  blizzard,  so  made  haste  to  follow 
the  road  down  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  mountain 
and  strike  the  road  on  the  lowlands  leading  to  South- 
ampton.  I  had  hardly  descended  and  reached  the  foot 
of  the  mountain,  when  the  snov^r  came  down  in  blind- 
ing sheets;  the  roads  were  still  heavy  from  previous 
storms,  but  svm  became  almost  impassable  for  travel. 
Inside  of  an  hour,  the  horses  were  floundering  through 
great  snowdrifts  up  to  their  bellies  and  we  were  making 
poor  headway.    The  road  led  through  an  immense 
cedar  swamp,  filled  with  a  tangle  of  brushwood  and 
cedar  trees  for  miles.   As  the  land  was  useless  for  cul- 
tivation, until  drained,  not  a  house  was  to  be  seen  any- 
where. 

It  was  getriiig  on  toward  evening  and  I  had  not 
eaten  since  six  o'clock  that  morning;  consequently, 
I  was  ravenously  hungry  and  so  were  the  poor  horses, 
who  were  pretty  nearly  used  up.  It  was  not  that 
bitter  cold  which  I  had  experienced  in  the  Coldwater 
forest  during  the  blizzard,  but  the  cold  was  penetrating 
and  the  snow  blinding.   It  did  not  seem  to  come  down 


200         THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

in  flakes,  but  sheets  of  it  were  blown  into  my  face  and 
L  facei  of  the  horses,  and  simply  bhnded  us  so  Aat 
teyZa  not  see  the  road  and  I  could  not  gmde  them 
with  the  reins.   I  was  beginnmg  to  lose  hopeof  e^r 
reaching  a  habitation  and  was  certainly  bewildered, 
when  we  came  to  a  crossroad  with  a  signpost  on  each 
comer.   I  reined  up  the  team  and  cleaned  the  snow  off 
the  signboard  with  my  long  whip,  for  the  snow  was 
sticking  to  it  like  a  plaster,  fully  four  inches  diick.  It 
read-  "Eighteen  miles  to  Southampton.     So  I  con- 
eluded  I  was  a  long  way  out  of  my  course    As  I  was 
examining  the  signboard,  I  saw  a  large  bam  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  road,  and  I  never  saw  a  barn  n 
my  life  that  gave  me  so  much  pleasure  to  Wk  at  as 
this  one,  for  I  knew  that  every  bam  was  contiguous  to 
some  house  or  habitation.   I  drove  my  p«)r  jad^ 
horses  over,  and  on  the  comer  a  few  yards  do^  the 
road  was  a  large  two-story  frame  buildmg.   It  was  a 
country  inn  or  road-house  and  supposed  to  be  run  by  a 
man  named  Rondell.   I  yelled  as  loud  as  I  could  but 
met  with  no  response,  so  got  out  of  my  sleigh  and 
cUmbed  up  onto  the  veranda,  which  was  almost  buried 
in  snow,  but  found  everything  closed  up  tight  and  he 
blinds  down  on  the  windows;  I  tned  the  latch  on  the 
front  door,  and  found  that  it  was  not  locked.  1  opened 
the  door  and  walked  in  and  there,  nght 
was  a  man  stretched  out  at  fuU  length  on  the  hall  floor. 
He  was  a  large  man  and  was  lymg  flat  on  ^^js  face.  I 
thought  he  was  dead.  The  whole  place  had  a  dis- 
mal, desolate  appearance,  and  was  fnghtfidly  cold.  1 
stooped  down  and  took  hold  of  the  man  by  the  arm. 
Both  his  arms  and  his  legs  were  sprawled  out  at  nght 


A  TBIP  THROUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST  «01 

angles  with  his  body  and  I  gave  him  a  good  shake,  but 
there  did  not  seem  to  be  any  sign  of  life  in  him,  so  I 
turned  him  over  on  his  back  and  let  him  drop  rather 
heavily  on  the  floor  and  then  gave  him  another  good 
shake.    He  responded  to  this  by  a  low  grunt,  and  I 
discovered  he  was  not  dead,  but  dead  drunk.    I  could 
do  nothing  with  him,  so  thought  I  would  investigate 
further.   I  went  upstairs  and  tried  several  of  the 
doors  and  found  them  all  unlocked;  one  of  the  doors 
opened  up  into  quite  a  neat  and  comfortable-looking 
bedroom.    I  scrambled  along  the  dark  hall  to  the  front 
of  the  building  and  opened  the  door  leading  into  the 
front  room,  and  saw  the  riost  pathetic  sight  I  ever  wit- 
nessed.   The  room  was  only  partially  furnished,  but 
had  a  small  lighted  stove  in  one  comer  which  threw 
out  a  little  heat,  slightly  warming  the  room.   But  it  was 
the  group  in  the  center  of  the  room  which  attracted  my 
attention.    Seated  in  a  rocking  chair  was  a  fairly  good- 
looking  woman  of  middle  age,  with  the  traces  of  former 
beauty  still  lingering  on  her  delicate,  attenuated  face. 
Three  young  girls  were  in  the  same  room  with  her, 
whom,  I  afterwards  discovered,  were  her  daughters. 
All  had  haggard  features  and  shrunken  faces  like  the 
mother,  and  were  the  pictures  of  despair. 

A  female  Irish  cocker  spaniel  occupied  a  clothes- 
basket  in  one  comer  of  the  room,  trying  to  nurse  a 
litter  of  puppies,  and,  on  my  entrance,  tried  hard  to 
give  out  a  warning  bark,  but  it  was  a  sickly  attempt. 
All  combined  to  make  the  most  pathetic  picture  of 
starvation,  want  and  hopeless  despair  I  ever  witnessed, 
or  heard  of.  The  mother  was  the  first  to  respond  to 
my  look  of  sympathetic  inquiry  and  said,  "We  are 


808 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


very  sorry,  but  we  have  no  means  of  entertaining  you, 
for  we  have  no  food  in  the  house  and  have  disposed  of 
one  article  at  a  time  to  raise  means  to  purchase  the  few 
necessities  needed  to  keep  life  in  our  bodies  until  there 
is  hardly  anything  left,  and  we  have  been  without  food 
since  early  yesterday  morning.  I  would  not  say  a 
word,  if  I  were  the  only  one  to  suffer,  but  1  can't  keep 
quiet  and  see  my  dear  daughters  starve."  The  girb 
never  uttered  a  word,  but  hung  their  heads  as  if  con- 
sumed with  embarrassment  and  shame.  I  at  last  said, 
"Ladies,  I  am  profoundly  sorry  to  find  you  in  such  a 
plight,  and  if  you  will  tell  me  where  I  can  find  the 
nearest  provision  store,  I  will  soon  have  enough  sup- 
plies to  keep  you  going  for  a  while,  at  least;  but  I  must 
get  my  horses  under  cover  at  once  or  they  will  perish 
in  the  storm.  I  will  just  drive  them  into  the  barn 
and  be  back  at  once,  so  keep  up  your  courage  for  a 
little  while  longer  and  I  will  evolve  some  plan  to  assist 
you." 

The  eldest  daughter  (Lucy)  volunteered  to  help  me, 

saying  she  was  well  up  in  the  handling  of  horses  and 
also  knew  where  to  put  her  hands  on  everything,  "and, 
another  thing,"  she  said,  "you  look  almost  famished 
yourself  and  are  not  fit  to  do  it  all  alone. "  Fortunately, 
she  still  possessed  a  heavy  blanket  coat.  This  she  put 
on  and  tied  a  heavy  scarf  around  her  head.  We  started 
for  the  barn,  passing  the  almost  lifeless  body  of  her 
father  in  the  hall  below.  We  managed  to  find  a  supply 
of  hay  and  oats  for  the  horses,  and  after  feeding,  water- 
ing, and  rubbing  them  down,  I  gave  theih  a  good  bed  of 
straw  and  locked  them  up  for  tlie  night. 

"Now,        Rondell,"  I  said,  "how  far  b  it  to  the 


A  TRIP  THROUGH  FROST  AND  TEBiPEST  108 


nearest  country  store?"   She  replied  that  there  was  a 
very  good  store  kept  by  a  Mr.  Mathews  just  one  mile 
down  the  back  road,  but  it  was  bleak  and  barren  all  the 
way.   The  effort  she  had  put  forth  to  help  me  with 
the  horses,  and  now  realizing  that  I  was  going  to  the 
store  for  provisions,  and  saw  help  ahead  for  her  mother 
and  sisters, — for  I  honestly  believe  she  never  thought 
of  her  own  starving  condition, — seemed  to  put  new  life 
into  her  and  she  became  quite  another  being.    I  said, 
"It  will  be  impossible  to  take  the  horses  out  again,  so 
I  will  just  plow  through  as  well  as  I  can,  for  we  must 
have  provisions  at  once."    "  Do  you  know  how  to  snow- 
shoe,  Mr.  Arling?"   "I  certainly  do,"  I  replied,  "for 
I  am  a  Montreal  boy."   "You  know,"  she  said,  "we 
came  here  from  Montreal  and  we  brought  our  snow- 
shoes  with  us,  so  I  will  get  them  and  go  with  you  to 
the  store."    I  was  afraid  to  let  her  try  it,  but  she  as- 
sured me  she  would  hold  out  all  right.    I  put  on  her 
father's  buckskin  moccasins,  and  after  adjusting  the 
snow-shoes  we  started  through  the  storm;  it  was  a  hard 
tramp,  for  the  drifts  in  places  were  piled  up  eight  to  ten 
feet;  however,  we  skimmed  over  the  roads  in  fairly 
good  time,  but  could  not  have  gotten  through  without 
the  snow-shoes.   I  certainly  thought  that  Miss  Rondell 
would  drop  in  her  tracks  several  times,  but  she  was 
game,  although  she  had  not  tasted  food  for  thirty-six 
hours. 

As  soon  as  we  arrived  we  were  greeted  with  the  odor 
of  ham  and  eggs.  Mrs.  Mathews  was  cooking  them  in 
the  kitchen.  I  took  Mr.  Mathews  one  side  and  ex- 
plained the  famished  condition  in  which  I  found  the 
family  and  also  of  my  own  experience  that  day.  As 


IM        THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

soon  as  he  heard  what  I  had  to  say  he  called  his  wife 
and  told  her  to  bring  in  everything  she  had  that  wat 
ready  to  serve.  In  a  few  moments  Miss  Lucy  and 
myself  were  eating  like  starved  wolves,  and,  while  we 
were  eating,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mathews  were  packing  up 
as  large  a  supply  of  provisions  of  all  kinds  as  I  could 
possibly  carry  on  my  back.  It  was  pathetic  to  watch 
Miss  Rondell  eating  the  ham,  eggs,  hot  toast,  and 
drinking  cup  after  cup  of  coffee,  for  it  was  the  first 
square  meal  she  had  eaten  in  months.  Of  course  I 
pretended  not  to  notice  her  ravenous  appetite  and  kept 
chatting,  cheering  her  up  all  the  time.  She  certainly 
did  have  a  good  meal»  and  so  did  I. 

We  had  eaten  everything  Mrs.  Mathews  had  put 
on  the  table  and  at  last  had  to  admit  we  were  satisfied. 
As  soon  as  her  hunger  had  been  appeased,  she  turned 
to  me  and  said:  "Mr.  Arling,  I  had  almost  lost  sight 
of  the  way  my  poor  people  are  suffering  at  the  inn,  in 
satisfying  my  own  wants;  but  please  let  me  return  at 
once  before  it  is  too  late."  "Miss  Rondell,"  I  said, 
"do  not  blame  yourself  for  one  moment,  for  you  needed 
all  the  strength  you  could  muster  up  to  tackle  the 
journey  back  to  die  inn,  and  now,  thank  God,  we  are 
all  right  and  the  moment  the  hamper  is  ready  we  shall 
start  for  the  hotel." 

Mr.  Mathews  tied  the  hamper  on  my  back  with  a 
pair  of  shoulder  straps  made  of  strong  rope.  After  we 
had  put  on  our  snow-shoes  I  paid  Mr.  Mathews  and 
told  him  that  if  all  was  well  I  would  be  back  in  the 
morning,  and  he  promised  to  have  some  chickens 
roasted  and  other  provisions  ready  on  my  arrival,  and 
added, — when  Miss  Rondell  was  out  of  hearing, — that 


A  TRIP  THROUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST  S05 


if  he  had  known  of  their  sufferings  he  would  have  gone 
to  their  assistance  at  once.  He  also  told  me  that  Mrs. 
Rondell  possessed  a  considerable  amount  of  money  at 
one  time  and  that  Rondell  had  squandered  it  all  in  fast 
living  and  gambling  and  was  nothing  but  a  drunken 
vagabond,  and  not  worthy  of  consideration.  But  the 
ladies,  too  proud  to  complain,  had  suffered  in  silence. 
They  had  his  sincere  sympathy  and  he  was  heartily 
sorry  for  them. 

Our  conversation  came  to  an  abrupt  ending,  as 
Miss  Rondell  walked  into  the  store  from  the  dining- 
room.  The  fine  meal  which  we  had  just  eaten  had 
given  us  both  a  new  lease  on  life.  We  said  good-bye 
to  the  Mathews  and  started  on  the  home  stretch  for  the 
hotel.  Miss  Rondell  was  walking  at  such  a  fast  clip 
I  had  all  I  could  do  to  keep  up  with  her,  on  account  of 
the  heavy  load  I  was  carrying  on  my  back.  She  soon 
realized  this  and  expressed  her  deep  sorrow,  and  slowed 
down  the  pace  to  meet  mine. 

The  storm  of  sleet  and  snow  was  blowing  directly 
into  our  faces;  the  snow  was  very  deep,  and  the  tramp- 
ing was  hard.  I  '  ad  all  I  could  do  to  struggle  along 
with  the  heavy  load  on  my  back.  Miss  Rondell 
pleaded  with  me  several  times  on  the  way  back  to  let 
her  carry  the  load,  if  only  for  a  short  time;  but  of 
course  I  would  not  listen  to  the  suggestion  for  a  mo- 
ment, but  I  certainly  was  getting  a  little  wabbly  in  my 
gait. 

We  were  only  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  inn  by 
this  time,  but  how  I  ever  managed  to  cover  that  last  lap 
of  the  journey  will  ever  be  a  mystery  to  me,  for  I  was 
just  about  all  in  as  we  crossed  the  threshold  of  the  hotel 


toe        THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

door.  As  soon  as  we  entered  the  room  where  the  ladie* 
were  sitting,  I  stretched  out  on  the  sofa  and  clowd  my 
eyes  and  left  Miw  Rondell  to  open  up  the  hamper. 
She  waited  on  them  with  but  little  ceremony,  for  they 
were  simply  starving,  the  hunger  gnawing  at  their  very 
vitals.  I  turned  my  face  to  the  wall  to  save  them  from 
embarrassment,  for  they  were  eating  more  like  a  lot  of 
hungry  wolves  than  like  human  beings. 

We  had  not  forgotten  the  dog,  although  she  had 
nearly  forgotten  her  puppies  for  the  moment  in  her 
mad  haste  to  get  at  the  food.    Mrs.  Mathews  had 
made  up  a  little  parcel  of  scraps  and  some  dog  biscuits 
and  a  can  of  milk  for  her.   Miss  Rondell  had  soaked 
some  of  the  biscuits  in  the  milk  and  the  poor  starved 
brute  coul '  hardly  take  her  nose  out  of  the  dish  until 
it  was  all  i    e.    Miss  Rondell  said  she  had  not  barked 
for  days,  but  laid  in  the  basket  with  her  puppies  and 
occasionally  made  a  little  whinej  she  now  became 
quite  frisky  and  would  jump  up  onto  the  side  of  her 
basket  and  I  rk  every  few  moments  to  attract  our 
attention.   "  le  food  had  a  wonderful  effect  on  the 
three  women,  for  they  soon  became  quite  loquacious 
and  were  willing  to  talk  about  anything. 

That  evening  Mrs.  Rondell  related  to  me  some  of 
her  sad  experiences.  She  said  she  was  bom  and  brought 
up  in  England,  that  her  father  was  a  retired  British 
officer  fairly  well  off.  He  subsequently  died,  leaving 
her  all  he  possessed,  which  gave  her  quite  a  comfort- 
able income.  She  had  no  living  relatives  and  lived 
alone.  Some  little  time  after  the  death  of  her  father 
she  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Rondell.  In  course  of  con- 
versation he  informed  her  that  he  was  a  man  of  good 


A  TRIP  TBB0U6H  FROST  AND  TEBfPEST  m 

family  and  possessed  of  considerable  means;  he  wa« 
fairly  good  looking,  a  very  fluent  talker,  and  in  a 
ihort  time  after  their  meeting  he  began  to  show  her 
marked  attention  and  became  a  most  persistent  wooer. 
He  succeeded  at  last  in  gaining  her  consent  to  many 
him.  Shortly  after  their  marriage  he  induced  her  to 
turn  over  to  him  for  investment,  as  he  said,  a  number  of 
valuable  securities,  making  the  excuse  that  he  was  a 
stock-broker  and  could  easily  double  her  income  for  her. 
But  she  subsequently  learned  that  instead  of  being 
a  stock-broker,  he  was  nothing  more  nor  less  than 
a  common  gambler;  but  by  this  time  he  had  gotten 
possession  of  the  best  part  of  the  fortune  her  father  had 
left  her.  He  was  away  from  home  a  great  deal,  espe- 
cially at  night,  but  she  was  so  engrossed  with  the  care 
of  her  first  baby  (Lucy),  she  pretended  not  to  notice 
his  continued  neglect,  for  at  first,  when  she  did  expos- 
tulate with  him  for  his  seeming  neglect,  it  made  him 
very  angry. 

He  came  home  one  night  earlier  than  usual,  in 
rather  an  excited  state  of  mind  and  said  they  must 
begin  packing  up  that  very  night  as  important  business 
-ailed  him  to  Montreal  at  once,  and  they  were  to  sail 
for  Canada  in  three  days'  time.  He  offered  her  no 
further  explanation  but  gave  her  to  understand  that  he 
did  not  wish  her  to  ask  any  questions,  but  to  simply 
do  what  he  told  her.  She  said  she  was  so  bewildered 
she  did  not  know  what  to  do.  He  had  all  her  money 
and  she  was  helpless,  with  no  one  to  advise  her,  so  she 
packed  up  all  the  things  which  they  had  and  they 
took  the  steamer  the  following  Saturday  for  Montreal. 
They  had  a  fairly  comfortable  cabin  on  the  steamer. 


208 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


but  her  husband  rarely  came  into  it,  but  was  contin- 
ually in  the  smoking-room  playing  card*  with  the 
other  passengers.   He  suddenly  decided  to  remain  m 
the  cabin  with  her  and  the  baby,  and  spent  the  best 
part  of  his  time  there  reading.    She  asked  him  for  an 
explanation.   He  tried  to  laugh  it  off  by  saying  that 
he  had  discovered  that  the  most  of  the  men  on  the  ship 
were  a  lot  of  cads  and  that  he  preferred  the  society  of 
herself  and  the  baby,  and  had  simply  cut  the  smoking- 
room  out.  The  thought  that  he  was  going  to  change 
his  mode  of  living  and  pay  more  attention  to  her  com- 
fort and  take  more  interest  in  their  child  in  future, 
made  her  very  happy,  but  her  happiness  was  not  long- 
lived  for  she  heard  the  steward  and  stewardess  ttlbng 
in  an  adjoining  cabin  and  the  steward  told  the  steward- 
ess that  Mr.  Rondell  had  been  caught  cheating  at  cards 
in  the  smoking-room,  that  he  had  won  a  large  amount 
of  money  from  the  passengers,  and  that  they  not  only 
accused  him  of  it  to  his  face,  but  denounced  him  as  a 
thief  and  a  professional  gambler  and  pitched  him  head- 
long out  of  the  smoking-room  and  left  him  sprawhng 
on  the  deck.    She  never  left  the  cabin  again  until  they 
reached  Montreal  and  was  so  mortified  and  ashamed 
she  had  to  be  helped  down  die  ccmpanionway  and 
assisted  into  an  omnibus  which  took  them  to  their 
hotel.   They  rented  a  little  cottage  in  Montreal  and 
from  that  time  on  had  been  flitting  from  house  to  house 
and  from  city  to  city.    Sometimes  her  husband  had 
money,  but    -  best  part  of  the  time  they  hardly  knew 
where  the  ne^c  meal  was  coming  from. 

In  the  meantime  her  two  youngest  daughters  were 
bom;  the  youngest  was  bom  m  Montreal,  where  they 


1- 

le 

in 

■t 

in 

at 

ip 

of 

8- 

ge 

n- 

■e, 

tie 

d- 

ds 

nt 

a 

id- 

ng 

ev 

ed 

nd 

eir 

nd 

use 

tad 

ew 

ere 

bey 

A  TRIP  THBOUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST  800 

had  retumdl  after  an  absence  of  several  yean.  He 
at  last  managed  to  purchase  the  farm,  where  I  found 
them,  and  built  this  road-house.  She  thought  then 
that  she  could  settle  down  and  have  a  home  for  her 
children,  but  the  fifty  acrea  of  land  had  long  ere  this 
been  disposed  of  and  there  was  nodiing  left  but  the 
road-house  and  the  barn.  She  said  her  husband  was 
always  under  the  influence  of  liquor  and  never  came 
near  them  but  to  abuse  them.  I  listened  to  this  ter- 
rible story  of  hardship,  misery  and  suffering,  but  did 
not  know  whzt  to  say  or  how  to  advise,  for  I  had 
never  in  my  sh'-rt  life  come  in  contact  with  anything 
approaching  such    heartbroken   n  and  abject 

destitution  as  was  brought  upon  the^^  unoffending 
ladies  by  a  worthless,  besotted  beast  of  a  man  calling 
himself  her  husband. 

Mrs.  Rondell  had  braced  herself  up  for  this  terrible 
ordeal,  for  it  was  a  heartbreak  to  her  to  have  to  admit 
her  woeful  position  to  a  perfect  stranger,  but  for  the 
sake  of  her  daughters  she  decided  to  tell  me  the  whole 
story,  for  up  to  this  time  she  had  suffered  in  silence, 
and  as  I  wm  the  only  one  who  seemed  to  take  any 
interest  in  them,  she  thought  that  I  might  evolve  some 
plan  to  help  them  out  of  their  misery  and  put  them  in 
a  position  to  help  themselves.  So  I  bid  them  good- 
night and  retired  to  my  room,  but  not  to  sleep,  for  I 
laid  awake  for  several  hours  trying  to  work  out  the 
sad  problem. 

The  storm  kept  up  in  all  its  fury  for  the  next  two 
days.  The  snow  was  so  deep  the  roads  were  buried  out 
of  sight  and  impassable  for  man  or  beast.  Every  road, 
fence  and  landmark  of  every  kind  was  buried  com- 


ity ^ 


210 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


pletdy  out  of  sight.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  snow- 
shoes  we  certainly  would  have  starved  to  deat. .  but 
with  the  snow-shoes  I  was  enabled  to  make  several  trips 
to  the  country  store  and  very  soon  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mathews  and  myself  became  very  good  friends,  and 
they  were  ahrays  waiting  for  me  when  I  arrived  and 
gave  me  a  hearty  welcome. 

Well,  at  last  the  storm  abated  and  I  took  a  tramp 
to  the  store  for  the  last  time.  Mrs.  Mathews  invited 
me  into  their  dining-room  for  a  cup  of  tea  and  some- 
thing to  eat,  for  I  was  ahirays  hungry  after  one  of  these 
tramps,  and  while  chatting  with  them  I  told  them  that 
if  at  all  possible  I  would  have  to  leave  the  next  day 
for  Southampton  and  that  I  thought  it  was  their  duty 
as  neighbors  to  take  an  active  interest  in  those  poor 
deserted  ladies  at  the  Rondell  Inn.  I  had  lain  awake 
the  night  before  for  several  hours  wondering  what 
could  be  done  to  help  them,  for  I  was  satisfied  some- 
thing had  to  be  done  and  done  at  once,  and  I  had  come 
to  this  conclusion:  That  they  ought  to  see  the  min- 
ister of  their  church  immediately  and  also  some  o(  the 
prominoit  people  of  that  section  of  the  country  and 
devise  some  plan  to  help  them  to  help  themselves  and 
to  do  it  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  hurt  their  feelings,  and 
that  they  could  accept  the  help  without  wounding  their 
pride  and  not  feel  that  they  were  the  recipients  of 
charity. 

Mr.  Mathews  promised  me  that  as  soon  as  I  left 
he  would  take  the  matter  up  and  would  drop  me  a  line 
occasionally,  telling  me  how  they  were  getting  on. 
I  told  them  if  they  would  do  that,  I  would  try  to  raise 
a  little  fund  to  help  them  by  making  an  appeal  to  the 


A  TRIP  THROUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST  211 

traveling  men  of  my  acquaintance  for  subscriptions 
to  this  fund,  and  as  I  received  money  I  would  forward 
it  to  them  from  time  to  time  as  it  came  in.  When  I 
had  gotten  diis  far,  they  both  became  quite  enthusi- 
astic and  assured  me  that  they  would  make  it  dieir 
business  to  do  all  that  I  thought  should  be  done.  Then 
I  outlined  the  plan  I  had  evolved  in  my  own  mind  the 
night  before  which  was  simply  this:  To  at  once  see 
the  minister  and  the  neighbors  and  call  a  meeting  at 
the  church  and  decide  on  holding  a  Furnishing  Bee, 
every  one  to  contribute  something  toward  furnishing 
the  Rondell  Inn,  and  make  it  comfortable  so  that  they 
could  supply  the  traveling  public  with  good  meals  and 
lodgings  as  well  as  accommodation  for  their  horses. 
If  tlus  was  done  it  would  make  them  self-supporting, 
and  independent  in  a  very  short  time.  I  also  advised 
them  to  make  it  a  temperance  inn  by  closing  up  the  bar 
and  cutting  out  the  liquor  altogether,  and  for  the  au- 
thorities to  take  hold  of  Rondell  and  put  him  in  some 
Pjac*  where  he  could  not  get  liquor  and  try  to  reform 

The  Mathews  thought  this  a  great  scheme  and 
promised  that  they  would  do  their  level  best  to  put  it 
through  just  as  I  had  outlined  it  to  them.  I  bid  them 
good-bye  and  left  them,  feeling  quite  happy,  knowing 
that  Mrs.  Rondell  and  her  daughters  would  be  put  in 
a  way  of  helping  themselves.  Subsequently,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mathews  engineered  the  proposirion  so  skillfully 
that  the  whole  programme  was  carried  out  to  the  letter, 
and  Mrs.  Rondell  with  her  three  daughters  helping 
her,  found  themselves  after  a  short  time  in  possession 
of  a  comforttible  home,  and  not  only  making  an  inde- 


818 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


pendent  living,  but  with  hosts  oi  friends  who  took  an 
active  interest  in  their  welfare. 

I  then  started  back  to  the  inn  and  felt  much  relieved 
to  think  that  there  was  now  a  prospect  diat  Mrs.  Ron- 
dell,  for  die  first  time  in  her  married  life,  would  be  able 
to  live  comfortably  and  independent  <rf  that  brute  <rf  a 
husband  she  had  been  cursed  with. 

I  had  been  storm-bound  for  four  days  at  the  Ron- 
dell  Inn,  but  during  the  previous  twenty-four  hours 
the  fanners  had  turned  out  in  great  numbers  with 
their  teams,  and  had  finished  breaking  the  roads 
through,  so  I  decided  to  make  a  start  for  Southampton 
the  first  thing  in  the  morning.    That  evening  we  were 
sitting  together  in  their  front  room  and  I  told  them 
that  it  was  necessary  that  I  should  be  in  Southampton 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  now  diat  the  roads  had  been 
broken  through  I  had  decided  to  start  die  next  morn- 
ing, but  that  I  had  made  arrangements  for  their 
welfare  whereby  they  would  be  provided  with  all 
necessaries  until  they  were  enabled  to  make  a  fresh 
start;  that  they  would  hear  all  about  that  in  a  few 
days  throu^  Mr.  Mathevra,  and  advised  them  to 
be  guided  by  him,  and  try  to  get  the  inn  fixed  up  as 
soon  as  possible  so  that  they  would  be  in  a  position 
to  receive  guests  when  they  called,  and  that  I  would 
advise  all  traveling  men  whom  I  met  on  the  road,  to 
put  up  at  their  house,  and  gave  them  all  the  encour- 
agement I  could.   I  will  never  forget  their  looks  of 
gratitude  for  helping  them  out  of  the  terrible  predica- 
ment I  found  them  in  when  I  first  arrived,  and  for 
coming  to  their  rescue  just  in  the  nick  of  time.  Miss 
Rondell,  the  eldest  daughter,  or  Lucy,  as  they  all 


A  TRIP  THBOUGH  FROST  AND  TEMPEST  213 

called  her,  said  she  wanted  to  give  me  a  little  keep- 
sake, and  as  she  had  nothing  else  to  give,  she  wanted 
to  know  if  I  would  not  accept  one  of  the  little  puppies. 
I  knew  it  would  please  them  to  take  it,  so  I  agreed  to 
accept  the  gift,  and  promised  that  I  would  not  part  with 
it  as  long  as  it  lived,  and  it  would  always  remind  me  of 
their  constant  friendship.  They  made  me  make  the 
selection  myself  and  I  picked  out  the  little  black  and 
white  dog;  a  perfect  little  beauty,  and  it  grew  up  to 
be  a  beautiful  dog  and  was  my  constant  companion. 

Miss  Rondell  helped  me  get  out  my  horses  next 
morning;  they  were  in  fine  trim  after  their  four  days 
rest.  I  said  good-bye  to  them  all  and  ade  a  fresh 
start  for  Southampton.  As  the  day  was  fine,  I  could 
see  them  standing  on  the  veranda  of  the  inn,  waving 
their  handkerchiefs  until  I  passed  out  of  sight.  The 
roads  were  very  heavy,  and,  as  a  consequence,  I  could 
not  make  very  rapid  headway  but  did  manage  to  get 
to  my  destination  that  evening.  I  transacted  the  busi- 
ness in  Southampton  according  to  instructions  and  left 
the  following  day  for  Kincardine.  From  here  I  struck 
across  the  country,  calling  at  a  number  of  inland  towns 
and  villages  and  in  time  reached  CoUingwood,  where 
I  returned  the  horses  to  the  owner  and  took  the 
train  for  home,  landing  that  evening  at  Toronto,  with 
my  dog.  We  had  become  great  friends  by  this  time, 
and  he  was  also  a  prime  favorite  at  the  hotel  and 
became  the  "Star  Boarder"  and  pet  of  every  one  in 
the  house. 

This  was  the  last  trip  I  made  that  winter,  and  as 
there  was  to  be  no  more  traveling  until  we  started  out 
with  the  fall  goods  in  May,  I  looked  forward  with 


214 


THE  MAKING  Or  A  CANADIAN 


pleasure  to  a  restful,  quiet  time  in  Toronto  for  the 
following  two  months,  enjoying  the  society  of  the 
many  kind  friends  I  had  in  that  city,  and  getting 
ready  for  the  fall  trade.  Mr.  Glassman  very  kindly 
told  me  as  I  had  had  a  rather  strenuous  winter  of  it, 
I  was  at  liberty  to  take  a  few  days  off  whenever  I 
wanted  to  go  out  with  my  friends,  and  advised  me  to 
do  so,  and  go  and  have  a  good  time,  which  I  did,  and  a 
little  later  in  the  spring  spent  a  good  part  of  my  time 
on  the  beautiful  Toronto  Bay,  boating  and  fishing. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  HIGHWA^'MAN 

In  all  my  travels  I  never  visited  a  city  where  the 
people  are  so  tmiversally  mthusiastic  over  aquatic 
sports  as  are  the  inhabitanti  of  the  City  of  Toronto. 
As  spring  approaches  you  can  see  great  numbers  of 
them  on  any  fine  day  scattered  along  the  wharves  and 
docks  watching  the  ice  as  it  slowly  disappears  from  the 
bay,  80  that  they  can  resume  their  favorite  pastime  in 
nming  or  sailing  over  the  placid  surface  of  the  beautiful 
sheet  of  water  called  the  Toronto  Bay.  Spring  has 
arrived,  and  instead  of  everything  being  dormant,  as 
it  has  been  all  through  the  long  winter  on  the  water- 
front, all  is  now  bustle  and  activity,  getting  ready  for 
die  boadng  season. 

Quite  a  party  of  us,  young  men  and  women,  were 
watching  the  ice  slowly  floating  out  through  the  lower 
gap  one  beautiful  April  afternoon.  We  decided  that 
it  would  all  be  gone  by  the  following  Monday,  and 
agreed  to  have  our  first  boating  party  on  the  afternoon 
of  that  day.  The  party  consisted  of  Chris,  Charley 
Hurd,  Susie  Ralston,  Nora  and  Bessie  Langhan  and 
myself.  Chris  and  I  owned  a  very  fine  skiff,  large 
enough  to  carry  six  persons  comfortably.  We  had 
just  received  it  back  from  the  man  who  had  over- 
hauled and  refinidied  it  frmn  sttm  to  stem.  Charley 
Hurd  owned  one  ifbidi  was  almost  its  mate.  They 

215 


216 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


were  a  splendid  pair  of  boats.  We  decided  to  invite 
a  number  of  others  to  take  up  the  capacity  of  both 
skiffs — three  boys  and  three  girls  to  each  boat. 

The  Misses  Langhan  invited  the  boadng  party  to 
take  tea  at  their  home  the  following  Monday  evoiing, 
when  they  returned  from  their  cruise.  When  we  met 
at  the  wharf  the  following  Monday  afternoon,  as 
agreed,  sure  enough  the  ice  had  disappeared;  not  a 
vestige  of  it  was  to  be  seen,  so  we  entered  the  boats, 
Chris  and  I  at  the  oars  in  our  boat,  with  Susie  Ralston 
at  the  helm;  Charley  Hurd's  skiff  followed  in  our  wake. 
We  had  a  delightful  time  on  the  water,  making  the  cir- 
cuit of  the  bay  twice;  but  as  the  air  was  chilly,  con- 
cluded we  had  had  enough  for  the  first  boat  ride  of  the 
season. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  Langhan's  we  were  ushered 
right  into  the  dining-room  and  took  our  places  at  the 
table,  where  we  were  provided  with  a  most  charming 
supper  and  an  abundance  of  everything.  We  were  all 
mighty  hungry  and  we  did  ample  justice  to  the  supper. 
Seated  next  to  me  at  the  table  was  a  very  lovely  and 
charming  young  lady — one  of  the  invited  guests  to 
the  boating  party;  she  was  Miss  Lizzy  Gillman,  of 
Brantford,  a  most  vivacious  and  witty  girl,  besides 
being  extremely  good  looking.  In  course  of  conver- 
sation I  told  her  I  was  about  to  start  on  a  business  trip 
North,  but  would  branch  off  at  Owen  Sound  and  drive 
down  the  Garafraxa  Road  to  Guelph,  afterwards  taking 
in  Simcoe  and  Brantford.  "Do  you  think  you  will  be 
in  Brantford  toward  the  latter  part  of  June?"  she 
asked.  "Yes,  Miss  Gillman,"  I  repUed,  "it  will  be 
just  about  that  time  that  I  expect  to  reach  Brantford." 


ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  HIGHWAYMAN  817 


"The  reason  I  asked  you  the  question,  Mr.  Arling,  was 
that  we  always  have  a  garden  party  at  our  home  at 
about  that  time;  I  want  you  to  drop  me  a  line  as  soon 
at  you  find  out  the  exact  date  that  you  can  be  in  Brant- 
ford,  and  I  will  try  to  arrange  matters  so  that  you  can 
be  with  us,  for  I  am  anxious  for  you  to  come."  I  as- 
sured her  I  would  keep  her  posted  as  to  my  movements 
and  immediately  after  hearing  from  her  I  would  start 
for  Brantford. 

Susie  Ralston  was  one  of  Toronto's  leading  so- 
pranos, while  Lizzy  Gillman  had  a  very  fine  contralto 
voice.  During  the  evening  they  entertained  us  with 
both  solos  and  duets,  and,  as  Chris  had  a  beauriful 
tenor  voice,  I  sang  baritone;  we  also  contributed  to 
the  music  of  the  evening,  rendering  a  few  of  the  duets 
which  we  were  in  the  habit  of  singing  together. 

It  was  fully  midnight  before  the  impromptu  con- 
cert was  brought  to  a  close  and  we  started  for  home. 
To  my  sorrow,  I  detected  one  note  that  was  not  in 
tun^  and  out  of  harmony  with  its  joyous  surround- 
ings, and  that  was:  I  noticed  that  Chris  avoided 
meeung  Susie  Ralston,  rarely  turning  his  eyes  in  her 
direction  during  the  whole  of  the  evening.  This  made 
me  feel  very  sad,  for  I  was  sure  they  had  been  engaged 
for  some  time.  Although  Susie  appeared  to  be  happy 
and  enjoying  herself,  I  could  easily  see  that  the  smile 
on  her  face  was  forced.  I  always  knew  that  she  was 
very  much  in  love  with  Chris,  and  thought  he  was  with 
her.  What  the  trouble  was  I  could  not  fathom.  Sub- 
sequently, Charley  Hurd  told  me  that  while  I  was  out 
on  the  road  Mary  Winton  had  given  a  dance  and 
nipper  at  her  home  in  "Queen's  Park"  and  that  Susie 


218 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


had  danced  three  or  four  times  in  succession  with 
Harry  Latham.  He  was  a  good-looking  fellow,  a 
,  cashier  in  one  of  the  banks,  but  not  liked  by  other  men 
and  looked  upon  at  a  tort  of  a  cad.  Chris  had  taken 
umbrage  at  this  and  upbraided  h«r  for  doing  it.  She 
resented  his  right  to  dictate  to  her  as  to  her  actions, 
they  quarreled  on  the  way  home,  and  Chris  had  not 
called  on  her  since.  I  had  noticed  all  the  evening 
that  poor  Susie  was  fretting  about  s(miethin^  for 
m^enever  an  opportunity  presented  ittelf  she  wmild 
manage  to  sit  by  me  as  if  asking  for  my  protection  or 
my  intercession  for  her.  I  was  placed  in  a  very  delicate 
as  well  as  an  awkward  position  and  I  did  not  know 
what  to  do. 

At  last  we  said  good-flight  to  our  kind,  hospiuble 

hostesses  and  started  for  home  in  the  moonlight,  carry- 
ing the  music  with  us  out  on  the  Kingston  Road,  and 
sang  in  chorus  all  the  way  home.  Before  saying  good- 
night to  Chris,  I  said  to  him,  "Old  man,  do  you  know 
diat  I  feel  mighty  sorry  to  notice  that  you  and  Surie 
do  not  appear  as  friendly  as  usual?  I  sincerely  trust 
that  nothing  of  an  unpleasant  nature  has  arisen  to  mar 
the  happy  relations  that  I  always  thought  were  eventu- 
ally to  culminate  in  your  marriage.  Pardon  me  for 
saying  this,  but  I  think  so  much  of  you  both,  that  it  is 
a  matter  of  the  very  deepest  concern  to  me."  Chris 
did  not  say  anything  for  a  short  time.  He  seemed 
to  be  perplexed,  and  at  the  same  time  he  looked  angry. 
At  last  he  said,  "Jack,  Susie  Ralston  and  I  were  en- 
gaged to  be  married,  but  that  is  a  thing  of  the  past. 
The  engagement  is  broken  off;  I  have  returned  her 
letters  to  h»,  and  from  nofw  on,  she  will  be  nodting  to 


ENOOUNTBS  WITH  A  HIGHWAYlfAN  119 


me.  I  shall  esteem  it  a  favor  if  you  will  never  mention 
her  name  to  me  again.  If  any  one  but  yourself  had 
•poken  to  me  ac  you  have,  I  would  have  aniwered  them 
in  a  very  different  way;  ao  please  let  the  nutter  drop 
forever."  I  saw  there  was  no  use  in  my  trying  to  pro- 
long a  conversation  which  seemed  so  objectionable  to 
him,  80  I  dropped  it,  bidding  him  good-bye,  as  I  ex- 
pected to  leave  for  the  Nordi  die  next  day,  and  we 
parted. 

The  next  day,  as  I  entered  the  warehouse,  Mr. 
Glassman  was  waiting  for  me  at  the  office  door  and 
invited  me  in.  As  soon  as  I  was  seated,  he  asked  me 
how  long  it  would  take  me  to  get  ready  to  start  for  the 
North  and  West.  I  told  him  I  had  everything  ready 
then  and  could  leave  on  the  afternoon  train;  which  I 
did,  and  arrived  at  my  first  stopping  place  (New- 
market) that  evening.  Of  course  I  saw  Mr.  Simonds 
at  once  and  after  finishing  my  business  with  him  re- 
sumed my  journey  through  the  North,  visiting  every 
town  and  village  on  the  railroad.  And  then,  with  my 
team  of  Canadian  ponies,  took  in  all  the  back  country 
from  Collingwood  through  to  Kincardine.  I  called 
at  the  Rondell  Inn  on  my  way,  and  was  agreeably  sur- 
prised at  the  transformation  which  La  a  taken  place 
not  only  in  the  road-house  and  its  surroundings  but 
in  the  occupants  of  the  hotel.  Mrs.  Rondell  and  her 
daughters  certainly  1'  give  me  a  very  warm  reception 
and  were  mighty  glad  to  see  me.  The  buildings,, 
fences  and  barns  had  all  been  freshly  painted.  The 
inn  looked  the  picture  of  cleanliness  in  its  new  garb 
of  spotless  white  with  green  trimmings  and  moss  green 
nx^.  The  bams  and  outbuildings  had  also  been 


AM      rm  MAXs  m  m  a  canaihan 

repainted  as  we!)  as  the  fences,  so  that  there  was  an 
air  of  thrift  and  prosperity  pervading  the  whole  place. 
Mrs.  Rondell  mtd  her  datq;hten  kwlwd  to  happy,  and 
ddig^ited  to  be  enabled  to  let  me  see  that  they  were 
prospering.  Of  course  I  had  the  dog  with  me  whi  h 
they  had  given  mc  od  bidding;  them  farewell  th'^  time 
of  the  big  storm.  I  had  chnsten-d  him  "Bhzzard" 
and  took  him  into  the  house  to  ii.  r)t>duce  him  to  his 
mother,  but  she  spurned  him.  Blizzard  was  so  good- 
natured  about  it  that  she  at  last  relented,  an  !  they 
had  a  great  romp  together  that  evening  in  the  sitting 
room. 

After  supper  was  over  we  sat  undl  late,  chatting  and 
relating  our  experiences  since  we  last  met.   They  all 
had  so  much  to  tell  me  that  I  allowed  th' m  to  do  the 
best  part  of  the  talking,  for  they  all  had  som»'thing  to 
say  about  their  new  start  in  life.    Mrs.  Rondell  treated 
me  as  though  I  was  her  own  son  and  the  girls  as  if  I 
were  thor  brother.   I  was  more  than  delighted  to  find 
than  looking  so  happy  and  contented.   On  looking 
at  my  watch  I  discovered  that  it  was  near  midnight, 
and,  as  I  wanted  to  make  an  early  start  in  the  morning, 
I  bade  them  good-night  and  retired  to  my  room,  whir' 
t!<e girls  had  christened  ''Jack's  Room,"  for  I  had  occi. 
pied  it  on  my  first  visit;  but  ^at  a  change  had  taker 
place  in  its  appearance  since  then.   It  certainly  Umke*. 
very  comfortable  and  inviting  with  its  pretty  chintz 
curtains,  carpet,  and  many  little  homemade  adorn- 
ments scattered  around  the  room  and  on  the  wails;  a 
large  bouquet  of  wild  flowers  on  the  table  in  the  coitc 
of  the  room  helped  to  make  die  room  look  cheerful 
and  the  atmosphere  fragrant. 


WOtHTNTER  WITH  A  HIGHWAYMAN  221 


I  IS  up  early  in  uie  morning,  but  early  s  it  was 
the  K  .iidells  wen-  up  Hefore  me  and  had  a  very  appe- 
ting  breakfast  pr  ^,,.r^  and  ready  to  serve.  As 
won  as  breakfast  -  as  over,  Bob,  the  hostler,  brought 
my  ponies  arf>und  to  rhe  front  door  and  before  getting 
into  th  waf^i  n,  hanr  d  Mrs.  Rondell  the  money  for 
lodtiing,  which  she  st  ong,  oh  d  to  taking,  but  I 
sueeeeded  in  leaving  a  five-  olL  oill  in  her  hand  as  I 
was  bidti  Jig  her  good-bve  ^id,  with  many  expressions 
of  gratitude  and  good  fro  both  her  and  he- 
daug!  ters,  drove  off  i,  np  -m  standing  on  the 
Neranda  o    rl  ^  ho  efor    waving  their 

handler. hiei  unt  ^as!,ed  the  oend  o  rhe  road  and 
th'^y  were  fos  to  v»f  But  the  difference  at  the  pa  rt- 
ii^  was  mo_  marl  i .  the  first  time  I  left  four  forbm, 
dibvoytags^  v.orr  hut  this  time  the  same  women 
were  cl  eerful  br  ,i  and  happy,  filled  with  a  new  faiti 
waving  heir  ban  .ierchiefs  in  farewell  and  wishing  c 
Go^  -ed  m  XT.  journey.  It  certainly  warmed 
ti  e     .Jes  of  -r     eart  to  see  it. 

The  da.  k>  'me,  the  roads  so  good,  and  the 

country  1(  ^<    beautiful  that  even  the  ponies 

^ughi  thi  .i  r  .uon  and  carried  me  over  the  road 
to  Sot  /Munp  jn  in  jig  time.  The  next  day  I  con- 
cl  j4ed  my  business  here  and  was  enabled  to  leave  for 
i  xzi  ie  that  afternoon.  When  I  got  through 
ardir  T  <^fruck  across  through  die  back  country, 
vis  ing  ,)laces  on  my  itinerary,  and  in  due  time 

rea  .hed  C    n  Sound. 

The  proprietor  the  hotel  came  up  to  me  just 
as  Mon  as  I  drove  up  to  his  door— he  was  an  old  ac- 
quaintance of  mine— and  asked  me  where  I  had  driven 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


from.   I  told  him  I  had  left  Kincardine  about  two 
weeks  back  and  had  driven  across  the  back  country. 
He  looked  rather  surprised,  and  said,  "Were  you  not 
afraid  of  meeting  Townsend  and  his  gang?"    I  said 
I  was  not.    "Well,"  he  said,  "he  and  his  cut-throat 
gang  have  held  up  a  lot  of  people  round  here  and  the 
last  holdup  was  in  the  big  woods  or  forest  which  I  had 
passed  through.   Townsend  had  the  whole  country- 
side scared  almost  to  death.    Even  the  mothers  of  boys 
who  liked  to  stay  out  late  at  night,  by  telling  them 
that  Townsend  was  in  the  vicinity,  could  so  frighten 
them  that  they  were  glad  to  uke  shelter  in  the  house. 
This  Townsend  was  an  outlaw  and  received  the  credit 
of  having  committed  three  deliberate  murders  and  had 
been  sentenced  to  be  hanged,  but  in  some  mysterious 
way  had  made  his  escape.    Since  that  time  he  had 
been  hiding  away  in  forests,  swamps  and  mountain 
districts  unril  he  had  drawn  to  himself  all  the  outlaws 
and  murderers  in  his  vicinity  who  had  not  been  appre- 
hended by  the  authorities  or  had  broken  jail  and 
escaped.   Various  estimates  of  their  numbers  were 
made,  some  saying  he  had  as  many  as  seventy-five  in 
his  gang,  although  no  one  knew  fw  a  certainQr  how 
many  there  were;  but  every  crime  that  was  committed 
for  a  long  time  was  attributed  to  him,  and  many  crimes 
were  committed  and  the  perpetrators  escaped  punish- 
ment by  being  the  first  to  advertise  the  crime,  putting 
the  responsibiUty  on  Townsend,  and  stories  of  his 
crimes  increased  as  they  traveled,  by  exaggeration,  so 
that  if  Townsend  had  committed  one-half  of  the  mur- 
ders he  received  credit  for,  it  would  have  taken  up  all 
his  time,  and  the  poor  man  would  not  have  had  time  to 


ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  HIGHWAYMAN  223 

even  cat  his  meals  in  comfort.  There  is  no  doubt  but 
that  Townsend  and  his  gang  had  thrown  a  mighty- 
big  scare  into  the  North  Country  and  part  of  the  West, 
for  everywhere  I  traveled,  the  first  question  that  was 
put  to  me  at  every  town,  village  or  crossroad  that  I 
called  at,  was:  "Did  you  meet  Townsend?"  or, 
"Were  you  held  up  by  Townsend?"  I  did  not  take 
mwh  stock  in  the  wild  rumors  I  heard  at  every  hand, 
and  just  travded  along  with  my  ponies  and  my  dog 
Blizzard  as  if  Townsend  never  existed. 

Well,  at  last  I  got  away  from  the  many  excited 
people  who  were  asking  me  all  kinds  of  questions  and 
went  into  the  Owen  Sound  Hotel  to  get  my  letters  and 
answer  my  tniil  I  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Glass- 
man  giving  me  instructions  to  drive  from  Owen  Sound 
to  Guelph,  over  the  Garafraxa  Road,  a  splendid  piece 
of  macadam  and  the  finest  road  in  that  part  of  the 
country,  a  drive  of  about  seventy-five  miles.  I  was 
mighty  glad  to  drive  over  this  road,  as  I  had  heard  so 
much  about  it,  so  the  next  afternoon  I  started,  and  I 
can  assure  you  it  wat  a  refreshing  change  after  the 
experiences  I  had  just  passed  through  on  the  mud 
roads  of  the  back  country.  The  ponies  thought  it  fun 
to  travel  over  this  road,  it  was  as  level  as  a  billiard 
table. 

I  called  at  all  the  towns  and  villages  scattered 
along  this  road  and  arrived  at  Guelph  on  a  very  fine 
day  in  July.  A  trunk  full  of  fresh  clothes  met  me  here 
from  Toronto  and  I  can  assure  you  I  needed  them 
after  two  or  three  months  traveling  over  mud  roads, 
and  when  dry,  simply  smothered  in  dust.  After  a  fine 
bath  I  dcnmed  my  new  top  and  had  hmch.  I  walked 


m        THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

over  to  Mr.  Granger's,  met  him  at  the  front  of  his  store 
and  he  invited  me  into  his  office  and  gave  me  a  very 
heaiiy  reception.  He  seemed  mi^ty  glad  to  see  me, 
as  I  was  to  see  him.  He  slapped  me  on  the  back  and 
said,  "Now,  my  boy,  sit  down  and  tell  me  all  about  it. 
You  know  I  am  an  old  traveling  man,  and  although 
I  have  not  been  on  the  road  for  a  good  many  years,  yet 
I  am  still  very  fond  of  hearing  about  everything  that  is 
going  on,  especially  in  die  Nordi,  for  I  stumped  that 
ground  for  a  good  many  moons." 

So  I  sat  with  him  all  the  afternoon,  telling  him  of 
my  many  experiences.  I  told  him  how  nicely  Mr. 
Simonds,  of  Newmarket,  had  treated  me  and  what  a 
good  customer  he  had  been  ever  since,  and  how  well  he 
had  spoken  <^  him.  Then  I  described  to  him  the  trip 
to  Penetanguishene  aiul  how  nearly  I  came  to  losing  my 
life  in  the  great  storm,  of  the  kindness  meted  out  to  me 
by  the  hotel  man  and  his  wife  at  Coldwater,  and  what 
a  kind  reception  I  received  from  Mr.  Clansman  and 
the  odier  members  of  the  firm  on  my  return  to  T<»mto. 
I  also  told  him  of  the  many  happy  days  I  spent  at 
Toronto  and  of  the  efforts  of  my  friends  to  make  me 
enjoy  myself  while  off  duty;  and  then  I  described  my 
horror  at  the  condition  I  found  the  Rondell  family  in 
when  I  was  storm4>ound  at  the  Rondell  Inn  for  f<Mir 
da)rs,— Mrs.  Rondell  and  her  three  daughters  on  the 
verge  of  starvation;  how  the  nei^bors  came  to  the 
rescue  as  soon  as  their  condition  was  made  known  to 
them,  and  contrasted  that  with  the  happy,  contented 
position  I  left  them  in  just  three  weeks  back. 

Of  course,  I  told  him  about  Blizzard  and  die  ponies, 
and  he  wanted  to  see  them  tight  away.  Hewasgready 


ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  HIGHWAYMAN  22ff 

interested,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  listening  to  me  de- 
scribing  my  life  and  experiences  on  the  road.  He  then 
toU  me  to  go  back  to  the  hotel  and  lay  out  my  samples 
and  that  he  would  nin  over  at  eight  o'clock  and  go 
over  them  with  me.  But  after  a  little  coaxing  on  my 
part,  I  got  him  to  change  this  programme  and  to  come 
to  the  hotel  at  six  o'clock  and  take  supper  with  me. 

On  my  return  to  the  hotel  I  ordered  a  first-class 
beefsteak  supper,  with  all  the  fixings,  which  we  both 
enjoyed  immensely,  and  then  spent  the  whole  evening 
together  in  my  sample  room.  As  soon  as  we  entered 
the  sample  room  I  handed  him  a  list  of  special  prices 
and  told  him  to  help  himself— which  he  did,  and 
the  next  day  handed  me  the  largest  order  I  had  ever 
taken,  which  he  had  made  out  from  the  memorandum 
he  had  taken  the  night  before. 

I  invited  him  to  come  out  with  me  for  a  drive,  as  I 
wanted  him  to  see  my  ponies  in  action.  I  hired  a  very 
pretty  double  buggy;  it  was  a  new  one  and  was  quite  a 
styhsh4ooking  aff*ir.  My  own  harness  was  of  the 
very  newest  design,  all  hand-sewed  and  trimmed  with 
silver  mountings  and  made  of  the  finest  patent  leather. 
So  I  had  my  ponies  hitched  to  this  handsome  buggy 
and  drove  to  his  house  for  him.  As  soon  as  Mr. 
Granger  saw  the  outfit  he  almost  went  into  ecstasies 
over  it  and  said  he  thought  it  the  prettiest  turn-out  he 
ever  saw.  We  took  a  very  long  drive  through  the 
country  and  he  was  perfectly  delighted  with  the  ponies; 
they  tr  ed  so  beautifully  together  and  were  such  fine 
tiav  '  .  Blizzard  was  with  us  and  came  in  for  a 
|ood  kiiare  of  petting.  After  we  had  covered  about 
twenty  miles  I  drove  him  home  again  and  he  said  he 


THB  MAS3N6  OF  A  CANADIAN 


never  remembered  having  had  such  a  beautiful  drive. 
I  thanked  him  over  and  over  again  for  the  magnifi- 
cent order  he  had  g;iven  me,  bade  htm  good-bye  and 
the  next  morning  made  an  early  start  for  Gait. 

After  working  up  the  trade  in  Gait,  I  called  on  all 
the  towns  and  villages  on  that  route,  and  on  Friday 
evening  arrived  at  Simcoe.  I  had  a  good-sized  mail 
waiting  for  me  here  and  among  the  many  letters  was 
one  (torn  Lizzy  Gtllman,  of  Brantford,  ^ving  me  a 
cordial  invitation  to  a  garden  party  to  be  held  at  her 
home  the  following  Monday  evening  (she  was  the  young 
lady  I  had  met  rt  supper  at  the  Langhan  home  after 
the  boating  party,  on  the  bay).  And  I  decided  to 
drive  to  Brantford  die  next  evening  (Saturday)  as  die 
nights  were  almost  as  bri^t  as  day,  the  moon  being  at 
the  full. 

I  finished  up  my  business  the  next  day  at  Simcoe  and 
at  the  supper  table  that  evening,  I  was  dining  with  the 
proprietor  of  the  hotel,  George  Burtram,  I  told  him  I 
was  going  to  drive  to  Brantford  that  evening  and 
would  start  at  eight  o'clock.  "Why,  Arling,"  he  said, 
"you  surely  are  not  going  to  take  the  risk  of  driving 
through  the  big  cedar  swamp  to-night?"  I  told  him  I 
had  heard  so  much  of  Townsend  that  I  was  sick  of  the 
name;  and  had  driven  through  so  many  swamps, 
forests,  and  over  mountains  where  everybody  said  I 
was  sure  to  meet  Townsend  and  his  gang,  and  had 
never  caught  sight  of  him,  I  was  almost  skeptical 
enough  to  say  that  I  did  not  believe  that  there  was  such 
a  man  or  gang  in  existence.  But,  Townsend  or  no 
Townsend,  I  was  going  to  make  the  trip;  and  make  it 
diat  nif^t.  When  he  found  out  that  I  was  really  hcnt 


ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  HIGHWAYMAN  287 

on  going,  he  said  at  first  he  thought  I  was  crazy;  but 
as  I  had  f  ully  determined  to  go,  he  would  lend  me  one 
of  his  Colt's  automatic  revolvers.  I  laughed  at  the 
idea,  but  to  humor  him  I  took  it,  although  I  had  a  fine 
thirty-eight  Colt's  of  my  own  in  my  trunk.  I  told  him 
of  it,  but  he  said  I  ought  to  have  two,  and  advited  me 
that  as  soon  as  I  entered  the  eleven-mile  swamp  to 
take  the  guns  out  of  their  holsters  and  lay  them  down 
on  the  seat  of  the  wagon— one  on  each  side  of  me,  where 
I  couW  get  at  them  quickly  if  I  needed  them. 

So  at  eight  o'clock  I  started  for  Brantford;  a  lot 
of  fellows  were  standing  in  the  front  of  the  hotel  and 
when  they  saw  me  drive  ofl^,  headed  for  the  Brantford 
Road,  they  said  I  was  a  blamed  fool;  but  if  I  wished 
to  take  the  chances,  why  that  was  my  business,  but 
that  they  wouldn't  do  it  for  a  farm.   Of  course  they 
all  thought,  and  really  believed,  that  Townsend  and 
his  merry  men  were  encamped  in  the  swamp.    But  I 
did  not,  and  that  was  the  diflPerence  between  us.  It 
was  a  lovely  night;  the  moon  was  shining  brightly  in  a 
cloudless  sky,  and  the  firmament  was  studded  and 
bedecked  with  millions  of  twinkling  stars;  but  it  was 
quite  cold  for  midsummer;  so  much  so,  that  I  had  to 
wear  my  overcoat.    The  roads  were  fine  and  smooth. 
It  was  a  fine  corduroy  road  that  ran  straight  through 
die  swamp  and  the  logs  were  well  covered  with  gravel 
and  rolled  so  that  the  driving  was  light,  and,  as  the 
ponies  were  feeling  good  they  were  traveling  at  a  to 
clip. 

Just  as  we  got  to  the  middle  of  this  lonely  swamp 
road,  a  num  stepped  out  from  the  cedar  trees  which 
lined  both  sides  of  the  road,  and  stood  with  his  arms 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


upraised,  and  yelled  out:  "Hold  on,  young  fellow,  I 
am  going  to  take  a  ride  with  you."  I  yelled  back  at 
him:  "Not  much,  you  it  not!"  and  with  that,  grabbed 
one  of  my  revolvers  and  fired.  I  did  not  try  to  hit  him, 
but  fired  right  over  his  head,  and  let  the  ball  pass  him 
so  close  that  he  could  almost  feel  it;  for  I  was  a  dead 
shot,  and  could  have  hit  him  if  I  desired.  He  never 
uttered  another  word,  but  darted  back  instandy  into 
the  woods  where  he  came  from.  But  the  shot  had  a 
wonderfully  inspiriting  effect  on  the  ponies.  They 
had  never  heard  a  gun  fired  up  to  that  time.  They 
just  made  one  jump,  clean  into  the  air,  and  when  they 
landed  they  had  the  bits  firmly  grasped  between  their 
teeth  and  wei-e  off.  I  could  not  hold  them,  but  tried 
my  best  to  guide  them  and  keep  them  on  the  straight 
road.  Blizzard  looked  upon  it  in  a  different  light  and 
thought  it  was  all  fun,  and  kept  up  an  incessant  barking, 
jumping  up  and  down  in  the  wagon  and  making  a  great 
noise.  TUs  all  added  to  the  (right  of  the  ponies,  and 
they  just  flew  over  that  road  as  if  "Old  Nick"  was  after 
them — never  stopping  for  one  moment  until  we  emerged 
from  the  woods  and  swamp  at  a  little  village  named 
"Scotland,"  and  came  to  a  dead  stop  right  in  front  of 
the  hotel.  There  were  a  lot  of  saddle  horses  tethered 
in  front  of  the  hotel  and  they  tried  to  stampede,  being 
frightened  at  the  noise  made  by  my  outfit,  and  the  noise 
we  kicked  up  brought  the  owners  of  the  horses  out  in  a 
hurry  to  find  out  the  cause  of  the  racket.  They  turned 
out  to  be  a  "SherifTs  Posse,"  all  well  armed,  and  said 
they  were  going  to  try  and  bag  Townsend  and  his  gang, 
as  they  were  quite  sure  they  were  camped  in  the  swamp- 
After  hearing  my  story  and  the  ocperioice  I  had  coming 


ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  HIGHWAYMAN  229 


through,  they  were  more  convinced  than  ever  they 
were  on  the  right  track,  and  mounted  their  horses  and 
were  off  in  a  gallop  to  try  and  nab  them. 

Without  any  further  excitement  I  arrived  at  Brant- 
ford.   At  breakfast  next  morning  I  met  two  very  old 
friends  at  the  hotel  table — both  traveling  men  from 
Montreal,— Bill  Jackson   and  Tom  Moran.  After 
breakfast,  we  started  for  a  walk  along  the  banks  of 
the  river.  As  k  was  still  quite  chilly,  I  had  kept  my 
overcoat  on,  and  on  putting  my  haiid  into  the  pocket 
I  discovered  that  I  had  not  taken  my  revolver  out  of 
the  pocket,  where  I  had  placed  it  the  night  before. 
Jackson  and  Moran  were  amusing  themselves  finding 
small  flat  stones  and  making  them  skip  along  the  sur- 
face of  the  water.  At  last  I  got  interested  myself  in 
the  sport  and  took  a  hand  in  it  with  the  rest.  Moran 
and  I  spied  a  perfectly  smooth,  flat  stone  about  the 
thickness  of  a  silver  dollar  and  about  the  same  size; 
we  both  jumped  for  it  at  the  same  rime,  but  in  stooping 
down  to  jMck  it  up,  the  revolver  dropped  out  of  my 
pocket  with  the  handle  pointing  downwards,  and,  in 
falling,  the  hammer  came  in  contact  with  a  rock  as  it 
reached  the  ground,  causing  it  to  discharge;  as  I  was 
stooping  over  it  at  the  rime,  with  my  left  hand  almost 
toudiing  the  barrel,  the  ball  passed  right  through  my 
hand,  entering  between  the  third  and  fourth  finger  and 
without  breaking  a  bone,  passed  upward  clean  through 
the  hand  and  came  out  near  the  wrist.   No  bones  were 
broken  by  the  ball  in  its  passage  through  the  hand,  but 
several  arteries  were  severed.   I  was  wearing  a  low- 
cut  white  vest  and  a  white  shirt  at  the  rime,  and  a  small 
piece  of  the  flesh  that  was  bbwn  off  the  back  of  my 


880 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


hand  landed  on  my  shirt  front,  right  over  my  heart,  and 
the  blood  was  trickling  down  from  it.  Knowing  I  was 
shot  through  the  hand,  though  I  felt  no  pain,  nothing 
but  a  duU  throbbing  seniadcm  produced  by  die  wound, 
I  thought  I  was  surely  shot  through  the  breast  at  well,  ' 
when  I  saw  my  blood-bespattered  shirt  front.  So  I 
called  out  to  Jackson  and  Moran,  "Boys,  I  am  afraid 
I  am  done  for;  I  think  the  ball  has  penetrated  my 
breast!"  But  as  soon  as  Moran  removed  my  shirt, 
he  found  that  It  was  not  so;  diat  the  only  wound  I  had 
received  was  in  my  hand,  and  that  was  bleeding  very 
profusely.  Both  Moran  and  Jackson  used  up  all  the 
handkerchiefs  we  had  between  us  in  trying  to  stop  the 
flow  of  blood,  but  without  success.  So  we  started  to 
walk  back  to  the  hotel  to  get  medical  assistance  as 
soon  as  possible. 

We  had  nodced  some  small  boys  playing  near  by 
before  the  accident  occurred,  but  they  had  disappeared. 
But  just  as  we  started  to  cross  the  bridge  near  the  city 
we  saw  the  chief  of  police  and  four  policemen  coming 
toward  us,  and  the  hoya  we  had  seen,  heading  the  pro- 
cession. When  we  met  at  the  center  of  the  bridge,  the 
chief  stepped  forward  and  told  us  that  we  were  under 
arrest.  Moran  asked  him  what  he  had  arrested  us  for, 
and  the  chief  replied:  "For  figh*^:ng  a  duel  with  pis- 
tols." It  appears  that  as  soon  as  the  boys  had  heard 
the  shot  and  saw  me  fall,  they  had  run  all  the  way  to 
the  city  and  told  this  story  to  the  police.  Of  course 
Moian  and  Jackson  made  explanations,  which  were 
perfectly  satisfactory  to  the  chief  and  he  made  an 
ample  apolog}^  As  soon  as  he  and  his  men  discovered 
that  I  was  badly  wounded,  tfaqr  did  evoydung  in 


ENGODNTER  WITH  A  HIGHWAYMAN  tSl 


thdr  power  to  help  me  to  get  to  the  hotel  as  soon  as 
pouible. 

The  chief  sent  one  of  his  men  forward  to  find  a 
doctor  and  have  him  at  the  hotel  as  soon  at  we  got 
there.  I  was  very  weak  from  loss  of  blood  and  needed 
all  the  assistance  they  could  give  me.  It  was  a  mighty 
fortunate  thing  the  chief  and  his  men  were  with  us; 
as  it  was  Sunday  and  the  people  were  just  coming  home 
ftmn  church  and  thronged  about  us  in  such  crowds 
that  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  police,  it  would  have 
been  impossible  for  us  to  have  gotten  to  the  hotel; 
the  curiosity  of  the  crowds  was  so  great  on  seeing  the 
diief  of  police  and  four  policemen  escorting  a  wounded 
man  and  his  two  companions.  We  were  surrounded  by 
a  vast  mob  of  curious  people  at  once,  and  the  chief  and 
his  men  had  a  hard  time  in  stemming  the  tide,  and,  as 
they  pushed  them  back,  they  fell  in  behind  forming 
quite  a  procession  all  the  way  to  the  hotel. 

I  was  taken  to  my  room  immediately  and  the  doctor 
began  at  once  to  examine  the  wound,  probing  for  the 
bullet  through  the  wound  in  the  back  of  my  hand, 
thinking  that  the  bullet  was  in,  or  near,  my  wrist.  I 
had  not  taken  an  anaesthetic  and  the  pain  was  very 
severe.  I  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  asked  him 
why  he  did  not  probe  toward  the  front  of  my  hand 
between  the  fingers,  and  as  soon  as  he  reversed  the 
direction  of  the  probe,  he  discovered  that  the  ball  had 
passed  clean  through  the  hand  from  this  point  and  had 
made  its  egress  just  below  the  wrist.  The  blood  had 
coagulated  where  the  ball  had  entered  between  the 
fingers  and  covered  up  the  wound  where  it  had  entered. 
It  never  penetrated  his  thick  brain  that  it  was  possible 


m         THE  IfAKINO  OF  A  CANADIAN 

for  the  ball  to  enter  any  other  place  than  the  back  of 
the  hand  where  he  first  discovered  the  wound;  and 
he  put  me  to  all  this  unnecessary  pain.  He  dien 
washed  my  hand,  removing  all  die  clotted  blood 
(which  he  should  have  done  in  the  first  pltce),  before 
beginning  to  probe  for  the  bullet. 

I  lost  confidence  in  this  country  doctor  at  once; 
but  when  he  told  my  friend  Moran  that  he  thought  it 
would  be  advisable  to  amputate  my  arm  between  the 
wrist  and  the  elbow,  I  was  more  convinced  than  ever 
that  he  did  not  know  his  business,  and  I  told  him  at  once 
that  neither  he  nor  any  other  doctor  would  be  allowed 
to  amputate  my  hand.  "But,"  said  the  doctor,  "are 
you  aware  that  if  mortification  sets  in  (as  it  is  apt  to  do 
in  hot  weadier)  that  it  may  cost  you  your  life?"  I 
replied  that  if  it  did,  then  I  would  die  with  both  hands 
on;  and  I  was  prepared  to  take  all  the  risk.  He 
seemed  to  be  much  annoyed  that  I  would  not  allow  him 
the  pleasure  of  removing  my  hand,  but  I  preferred  to 
reserve  to  myself  the  pleasure  of  keeping  it  on.  After 
this  little  passage  at  arms,  he  again  washed  and  dressed 
the  hand,  bandaged  it,  and  put  it  in  splints;  as  soon 
as  he  left,  I  made  Jackson  and  Moran  promise  to  put 
me  on  the  early  morning  train  for  Toronto;  for  I 
was  afraid  that  during  a  period  of  unconsciousness  he 
might  amputate  the  hand.  He  certainly  had  me  in  a 
very  nervous  state,  and,  having  lost  so  much  blood, 
I  was  easily  fiightened. 

So  they  woke  me  up  out  of  a  sound  sleep  next  morn- 
ing at  five  o'clock,  and  took  me  to  the  train  in  a  com- 
(bruble  carriage.  As  I  was  well  acquainted  with  the 
ccmduco>r  of  die  train,  as  soon  as  he  learned  the  facts, 


ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  HIGHWAYMAN  tSS 


had  a  comfortable  bed  made  up  for  me  in  the  day  coach, 
as  there  was  no  sleeping  car  attached  to  that  train. 
Shortly  after  the  train  started  I  began  to  fed  quite 
li^t-Jieaded,  and,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life»  I  fainted 
right  away.  There  were  some  very  kind4iearted  ladies 
on  board  and  they  took  charge  of  my  case  at  once. 
When  I  recovered  consciousness,  I  found  a  number  of 
them  standing  around  my  bed;  and  to  my  utter  sur- 
prise I  found  one  of  them  to  be  Lizzy  Gillman.  She 
had  heard  of  the  accident,  and  called  at  the  hotel  the 
night  before  to  find  out  the  particulars.  The  pro- 
prietor of  the  hotel  introduced  her  to  my  two  friends, 
Moran  and  Jackson,  and  they  told  her  all  about  the 
accident  and  as  to  my  condition,  but  said  they  were 
both  afraid  to  let  me  tra^  al<me  to  Toronto.  She 
relieved  their  minds  at  once  by  saying,  "Why,  gentle- 
men, I  would  not  think  of  allowing  such  a  thing  to 
happen;  I  will  go  on  the  same  train  and  will  remain 
with  him  and  see  that  he  is  properly  taken  care  of  until 
he  reaches  Toronto."  Then  she  told  diem  that  she  was 
to  have  had  a  garden  party  diat  night  and  that  I  was 
to  have  been  one  of  the  guests,  but  that  on  account  of 
my  accident  had  postponed  it  to  a  future  date;  and 
hoped  they  would  be  in  the  vicinity  of  Brantford  at 
the  time,  and  gave  than  both  a  hearty  invitaticm  to 
be  present — which  they  both  gladly  accepted.  Any- 
how, I  was  well  fixed  for  nurses,  with  Lizzy  Gillman 
bossing  the  job,  and,  from  what  I  heard  subsequently, 
I  sorely  needed  their  help,  for  I  had  fainted  several 
times  between  Brantford  and  Toronto. 

We  arrived  at  the  city  at  noon.  Chris  had  been 
infoniMd  of  the  accident  by  wire  and  was  waiting  at  the 


THE  MAIONO  OF  A  CANADIAN 


station  with  a  doctor,  to  meet  me  on  my  arrival.  The 
doctor  accompanied  me  to  my  hotel  and  gave  me  every 
attention.  When  he  had  removed  the  splints  and  ban- 
dages and  had  thoroughly  cleanted  the  mNind,  he 
simply  said  that  I  had  lost  considenible  blood  and  had 
suffered  a  good  deal  of  pain  wiuch  affected  my  ner- 
vous system,  and,  being  very  weak,  I  must  remain 
in  bed  for  three  or  four  days  and  take  a  good  rest  and 
I  would  be  right  as  a  trump  in  a  short  time,  but  would 
have  to  keep  my  arm  in  a  sling  for  a  month  or  two. 
He  denounced  the  Brantford  doctor  for  ever  lugseituig 
the  idea  of  amputating  my  hand  and  said  it  was  a  clean 
shot  wound  and  there  never  existed  a  reason  for  taking 
my  hand  off*.  He  was  a  fine  fellow,  and  had  me  on  my 
feet  before  the  end  of  the  week. 

As  the  traveling  was  now  over  for  the  weMon,  I 
had  not  lost  any  tiu.e  by  being  laid  up  from  the  cffecti 
of  the  accident,  and  was  at  liberty  to  take  it  easy  and 
nurse  my  hand. 

Chiis,  Charley  Hurd,  and  some  other  fellows,  with 
a  number  of  young  ladiei,  arranged  a  aeries  of  drives, 
garden  parties,  boating  parties  and  entertainments  of 
various  kinds  for  my  entertainment;  so  that  I  did  not 
have  much  time  to  indulge  in  the  blues,  for  something 
was  on  the  cards  all  the  time  to  take  up  my  attention, 
and  th^  certainly  did  give  me  a  most  enjoyable  time. 

During  the  three  weeks  I  spent  in  Toronto,  before 
leaving  for  another  trip  on  the  road,  I  took  advan- 
tage of  an  opportunity  which  presented  itself,  to  have 
another  ulk  with  Chris  about  Susie  Ralston.  I  had 
hardly  broached  the  subject  when  Chris  said,  "Now, 
Jack,  i^ease  cut  that  out;  I  have  finaUy  made  up  my 


WOOmmL  WTB  k  highwayman  tff 


nund,  and  it  it  all  owf  bctwcm  IMiM  Ralston  and 
ngra^  and  yon  will  greatly  <4»lice  me  by  not  refeninc 
to  that  subject  again/*  And  at  I  saw  that  he  reallv 
meant  what  he  said,  much  to  my  sorrow,  I  had  to  drop 
it;  for  I  could  easily  see  that  it  only  annoyed  him. 
My  hand  healed  up  very  raptdlyt  and  in  a  few  weeks 
mm  as  wdl  at  ever. 


CHAPTER  XVni 


SUCCESS  AS  A  COMMISSION  MERCHANT 

Mr.  Glassman  cjiUed  me  into  die  office  one  morn- 
ing and  informed  me  that  our  western  man  was  again 
laid  up  with  his  old  complaint  (rheumatism)  and  would 
be  confined  to  his  bed  for  some  time;  he  asked  me  to 
take  his  trip  over  the  western  route  and  would  like  me 
to  start  if  possible  the  following  Monday  morning, 
making  my  first  stop  at  Guelph,  and  covering  the 
whole  of  the  western  territory. 

So  I  boarded  the  early  train  on  Monday,  reaching 
Guelph  by  ten-thirty;  Mr.  Granger  being  my  only 
customer  in  diat  dty,  I  called  on  him  at  <mce.  I 
spent  two  ythcAit  days  widi  him  and  die  order  he  gave 
me  was  a  surprise — amounring  to  over  six  thousand 
dollars,  the  largest  order  ever  received  by  our  house 
from  a  traveling  salesman.  Mr.  Glassman  simply 
overwhelmed  me  with  congratulations  in  his  reply  to 
my  letter  in  yr^ach  the  order  was  inclosed.  I  worked 
very  hard,  early  and  late;  it  was  straight  business  from 
start  to  finish  on  that  trip.  Mr.  Glassman  and  the 
other  members  of  the  firm  showered  me  with  com- 
pliments on  my  return,  saying  that  it  was  the  most 
succemful  trip  ever  accomplished  by  any  salesman  from 
their  house.  I  had  had  such  a  strenuous  time  on  the 
trip,  I  really  needed  a  rest,  and  Mr.  Glassman  advised 
me  to  take  one  for  two  or  three  weeks. 

m 


SUCCESS  AS  A  COMMISSION  MERCHANT  ff87 


I  had  worked  very  consdendoufly  for  datsman  k 
Company  for  the  past  two  years;  but  in  all  that  time 

had  never  asked  them  for  an  advance  in  my  salary, 
although  Mr.  Glassman  had  twice  during  that  time 
given  me  a  raise  of  one  hundred  dollars.  But  I  had 
been  working  for  a  record,  although  quite  well  aware  cS 
die  fact  diat  I  was  earning  a  great  deal  nwre  mmi^ 
than  what  I  was  receiving  for  my  services;  and  I 
thought  that  the  time  had  arrived  to  bring  the  matter 
squarely  before  them,  now  that  they  had  all  admitted 
that  I  had  accomplished  more  than  any  salesman  they 
had  ever  employ^.  But  I  did  not  want  to  hurt  Mr. 
Classman's  feelings  in  making  my  request,  for  he  had 
been  very  kind  to  me  and  I  appreciated  his  friendship. 

A  few  days  later  I  was  in  his  office,  and  said  to  him, 
"Mr.  Glassman,  I  am  no  longer  the  young  boy  you 
engaged  to  travel  for  you  two  years  ago;  but  by  hard 
wwk  and  persistent  ^ort  have  gained  experience  and 
to-day,  according  to  your  own  admissicms,  I  am  doing 
more  business,  and,  as  a  consequence,  making  more 
money  for  you  than  any  man  you  have  ever  employed 
as  a  salesman.  And  still  you  are  paying  three  times  the 
amount  of  salary  to  some  in  your  employ  that  you  are 
paying  me,  and  admitting  at  the  same  time  that  my 
seivices  are  more  valuable  to  the  business  than  theirs. 
Is  this  right?  I  have  made  a  great  deal  of  money 
for  you  during  the  last  two  years,  but  am  still  receiving 
the  wages  of  a  junior  traveler.  But  I  think  the  rime 
has  arrived  when  I  should  receive  remuneration  for 
my  services  commoisurate  with  my  earning  capact^ 
and  not  according  to  my  age." 

Mr.  Glassman  gave  me  a  very  courteous  hearins 


288 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


until  I  had  fimdied  talkuig  and  then  raid:  "My  dear 
Arling,  you  know  we  all  appreciate  your  efforts  and 
acknowledge  your  abilities,  but  you  mutt  remember 
you  are  only  twenty-two." 

"Mr.  Glassman,  that  is  the  very  point  I  am  trying 
to  make,"  I  replied;  "age,  to  my  mind,  has  nothing 
whatever  to  do  with  the  argument, — but  the  value  ot 
service  rendered.  I  only  ask  to  be  paid  for  what  I 
earn."  Mr.  Glassman  simply  smiled,  for  he  knew  I 
was  right,  and  asked  me  the  question:  "What  salary 
do  you  think  3rou  should  have?"  "Twenty-^ve  hun- 
dred dollars,  Mr.  Glassman,"  I  rqrfied,  "for  I  am 
earning  it."  He  almost  gasped  when  I  mentiooad 
this  sum.  "My  dear  boy,"  he  replied,  "if  we  were  to 
advance  your  salary  to  the  amount  you  mention,  we 
would  have  to  increase  the  wages  of  every  sin§le  man 
and  boy  in  the  house.  We  have  mm  in  our  employ 
that  have  grown  gray  in  the  service;  they  are  not 
asking  any  advance  in  their  taiarias;  tkm  AeuU 
you?" 

"I  have  answered  that  question,"  I  said,  "and  the 
answer  is,  as  you  very  mi&  know,— I  am  eanung  it 
If  I  can  nakt  fffom  cig^t  to  ten  rtisiiiand  dc^an  a 
year  for  your  company,  I  think  it  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose I  could  at  least  earn  one-third  of  that  amount 
working  for  myself.  But  as  we  do  not  seem  to  look 
at  the  proposition  from  the  same  viewp<Mnt,  I  dunk 
die  only  thing  for  am  to  do  is  to  hand  fou  aqr  rcs^;- 
nation;  but,  m  dning  so»  I  wi^  to  thank  you  fet  all 
your  kindness  to  me  ever  since  I  entered  your  employ. 
My  intention  is  to  handle  a  line  of  goods  that  will  in 
no  way  conflict  with  yours,  so  that  we  can  always 


SUCCESS  AS  A  COMMISSION  MERCHANT  889 


meet  on  the  same  friendly  terms  that  we  do  now,  for  I 
value  your  friendship  more  than  I  can  tell  you;  and,  if 
yott  ivould  only  add  to  your  past  kindnenes  by  giving 
me  a  letter  whidi  I  could  use  as  a  reference;  this  would 
help  me  very  much  in  New  York  to  secure  the  agencies 
I  am  after."  I  also  told  him  of  the  class  of  goods 
I  wanted  and  he  promised  to  write  me  the  letter  at 
once;  and  added  that  he  was  extremely  sorry  to  have 
me  leave,  and  urged  me  to  talk  the  matter  over  with 
Chris  before  I  made  a  final  decision,  but,  in  any  event, 
to  come  in  and  see  him  again  before  long.  So  I  parted 
with  Mr.  Glassman  on  very  good  terms,  regretting  in 
one  way  that  I  had  to  sever  my  business  reladons  vrith 
mA  a  perfect  gentleman. 

Mr.  Thorbum  was  die  American  G>nsul  at  Tonmto 
at  this  time,  and  I  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  his  home,  as 
his  two  sons  and  I  were  very  good  friends.  When  I 
had  finally  made  my  arrangements  to  start  for  New 
York,  I  called  on  Mr.  Thorburn  and  was  shown  into 
Ittt  ottct;  I  told  him  tiiat  I  had  resigned  my  position 
m  trav^ig  salesman  for  Glassman  &  Company  and  of 
my  mtoition  to  visit  New  York  to  try  and  secure  agen- 
cies for  certain  lines,  to  act  as  their  representarive  in 
Canada.  He  asked  me  if  I  was  sure  I  had  been  well 
•dMitd  in  taking  this  important  step.  So  I  outlined 
to  koB  ikm  omveraticHi  I  had  had  with  Mr.  Glassman, 
word  for  word,  as  near  as  I  could  remember  it.  Mr. 
Thorbum  said:  "Why,  Jack,  I  had  no  idea  that  you 
had  made  the  turnover  for  Glassman  &  Company  that 
you  say  you  have,  and  I  really  think  you  are  right; 
if  fm  can  mke  ten  thousand  a  year  profit  for  Glass- 
nan  U  Company  you  can  surely  make  one-quarter  of 


uo         THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

that  amount  for  yourself.  I  have  a  very  old  and  a 
good  friend  in  New  York  City,  a  Mr.  Wyman,  of  the 
Dun-Wyman  Mercantile  Agency — he  it  an  Tonmto 
boy.  I  will  give  you  a  letter  of  introductkm  to^im  widi 
much  pleasure.  I  will  also  write  him  a  personal  letter 
and  mail  it  to-night,  which  will  prepare  him  for  your 
coming.  When  do  you  expect  to  start?"  I  told 
him  I  expected  to  leave  the  following  Monday  morning. 
He  said,  "That  will  just  work  out  fine,  for^my  letter 
will  reach  there  in  the  Sunday  morning  mail  and  he 
will  get  it  with  his  letters  on  Monday  morning." 

I  had  never  visited  New  York,  but  always  had  the 
desire  to  go  there;  and  now  that  my  ambidon  was  so 
soon  to  be  gratifi^,  I  was  all  excitement  until  the  day 
arrived  when  I  was  to  make  the  start.  I  took  a  great 
deal  of  pains  to  see  that  my  wardrobe  was  in  good 
condition  and  up-to-date;  for  I  had  always  worked 
on  the  principle  that  a  well-groomed  man,  other  things 
being  equal,  had  the  advantage. 

The  foUoifdng  Monday  morning  I  boarded  the 
steamer  "Chicora,"  crossed  the  lake,  connecting  with 
the  train  at  Lewistcm  for  New  York,  and  arrived  there 
that  evening. 

After  breakfast  next  morning  at  the  Astor  House,  I 
walked  up  Broadway  to  Dun,  Wyman  &  Company's 
offices;  I  handed  my  card  to  a  page  at  the  door  and 
asked  him  to  deliver  it  to  Mr.  Wyman  personally.  In 
a  few  moments  he  returned  and  conducted  me  into  Mr. 
Wyman's  private  office.  Mr.  Wyman  met  me  at  the 
door  and  handed  me  a  chair  next  to  his  own  and  said: 
"So  you  are  the  young  man  my  fri«id,  Mr.  Thorbum, 
of  Tonmto,  has  been  writing  me  about;  I  have  just 


SUCCESS  AS  A  COMMISSION  MESCHAMT  Ul 


received  his  letter  in  this  morning's  mail;  your  name  is 
Arling,  is  it  not?"  "Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  "and  Mr. 
Thorbum  gave  me  another  letter  addressed  to  you, 
and  told  me  to  hand  it  to  you  myself,"  and  I  handed 
him  the  letter.  As  soon  as  he  had  read  the  letter,  he 
said:  "I  see  by  the  letters  Mr.  Thorburn  has  written, 
that  you  have  come  to  New  York  on  some  business 
project,  but  he  does  not  say  what  it  is.  Now,  Mr. 
Arling,  what  did  you  come  to  New  York  for?  and  if  I 
can  serve  you  in  any  way,  it  will  give  me  pleasure  to 
do  so." 

So  I  gave  him  a  brief  outline  of  my  business  expe- 
rience in  Canada,  and  to  prove  my  statements,  handed 
him  my  order  books  so  that  he  could  see  for  himself 
die  amount  of  trade  I  had  secured  for  Glassman  & 
Ompxny.  He  dien  suggested  that  I  should  jot  down 
<»i  a  piece  of  paper  the  classes  of  goods  I  thought  there 
was  a  large  demand  for  and  that  I  was  sure  I  could 
place  in  quantities  in  Canada.  When  I  had  fur- 
nished him  with  this  memorandu'n  he  told  his  mes- 
senger to  call  Mr.  Anderson,  the  chief  clerk,  into  the 
office;  Mr.  Anderson  came  in  at  once,  and  Mr.  Wyman 
introduced  me  to  him  by  saying:  "Mr.  Andersnn,  this 
is  Mr.  Arling,  of  Toronto.  He  is  a  friend  of  my  old 
college  chum,  Thorbum,  of  whom  you  have  beard  me 
ipeaL  Thorbum  has  written  me  a  very  strong  letter 
in  which  he  says  that  if  I  can  do  anything  to  help  Mr. 
Arling  secure  the  business  connections  he  is  trying  to 
form,  he  will  esteem  it  as  a  personal  favor.  Now,  Mr. 
Anderson,  I  want  you  to  ttke  Mr.  Arling  in  charge 
while  he  is  in  New  York  and  help  him  in  every  way  that 
yott  can;  first  of  all,  I  want  you  to  find  out  the  names 


m        THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

and  addresses  of  the  leading  manufacturers  in  the  lines 
Mr.  Ariing  has  enumerated;  they  will  all  have  offices 
in  this  city,— and  invite  the  agent  in  chai^  to  call  at 
my  office  tonnorrow  morning  at  ten  o'clocL  They 
can  then  meet  Mr.  Arling;  he  can  then  present  his 
proposition,  and  I  think  it  will  meet  with  their  ap- 
proval. I  also  wish  you  to  put  yourself  at  Mr.  Arling's 
disposal  while  he  is  in  the  city,  and  do  all  you  can  to 
help  him;  for  he  has  my  absolute  confidence — as  no 
one  coufd  get  my  old  friend  Tom  Thorbum  to  write  the 
letter  he  has  written  me  about  Mr.  Arling  unless  he 
was  sure  of  his  facts." 

"Now,  Mr.  Ariing,  go  with  Mr.  Anderson  to  his 
office;  post  him  thoroughly  on  what  you  want  and  he 
will  make  all  necessary  arrangements  as  soon  as  you 
give  him  the  facts  to  work  on.  In  the  meantime,  while 
Mr.  Anderson  is  doing  this,  you  might  take  a  run  out 
and  see  some  of  the  sights  of  New  York;  but  be  sure  to 
be  here  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  rooming  to  meet  die  gen- 
draioi  invited  by  Mr.  Anderson  to  the  conference." 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Anderson  became  acquainted  with 
my  plan,  he  dictated  letters  to  each  of  the  manufac- 
turers' representatives  whose  names  and  addresses  he 
copied  from  the  files,  inviting  them  to  call  on  Mr. 
Wyman  the  next  morning  at  ten  o'clock,  and  sent  the 
invitadons  by  special  messengers. 

"Now,  Arling,  we  have  done  all  we  can  for  to-day,** 
said  Mr.  Anderson,  "and  if  you  wish,  I  will  be  glad  to 
go  out  with  you  and  show  you  a  bit  of  New  York. 
What  do  you  think  of  it?*'  Of  course  I  thanked  him 
and  at  once  accepted  his  kind  invitadon.  He  had  a 
carnage  and  driver  waiting  for  us  at  the  door.  We 


SUCCESS  AS  A  COMMISSION  MERCHANT  MS 


drove  from  one  point  of  interest  to  another  all  the 
morning,  and  at  one  o'clock  he  took  me  to  his  club 
and  had  a  fine  lunch.  In  the  afternoon,  we  boarded 
a  steamer  for  Coney  Island;  took  in  all  the  sights  there, 
dined  at  the  Manhattan  Hotel,  spent  the  evening 
watdiing  the  fireworks  and  listening  to  the  music  of 
one  of  New  York's  best  brass  bands.  It  was  a  day  of 
unalloyed  pleasure  and  I  was  more  than  grateful  to 
both  Mr.  Anderson  and  Mr.  Wyman  for  their  hos- 
pitality and  helping  me  to  perfect  my  business  arrange- 
ments, wfaidi  of  omne  I  could  not  have  accomplished 
unaided. 

The  next  morning  I  met  Mr.  Anderson  at  his  office 
at  ten  o'clock.  He  gave  me  a  very  warm  handshake 
and  a  kindly  smile  on  greeting  me,  and  hoped  that  I  had 
had  a  good  nig^^s  rest  after  die  strenuous  day  he  had 
helped  to  give  me  the  day  before,  trotting  me  around 
New  York.  I  told  him  that  I  would  always  feel  in- 
debted to  him,  for  I  had  never  enjoyed  a  day's  outing 
so  much  in  my  life  and  it  would  give  me  something  to 
think  about  for  many  a  long  day. 

In  a  diort  time,  the  ax  representatives  of  the  man- 
ufacturing companies  to  whom  Mr.  Anderson  had 
written  the  day  before,  arrived.  Mr.  Anderson  intro- 
duced me  to  each  one  as  they  entered  the  office.  They 
all  looked  a  little  bit  surprised  at  my  youthful  appear- 
ance. Mr.  Anderson  asked  me  to  step  into  the  next 
room  for  a  few  moments  as  he  wanted  to  have  a  few 
words  with  them  alone. 

In  my  absence,  Mr.  Wyman  walked  in  and  had  quite 
a  talk  with  them  and  read  Mr.  Thorburn's  letters  in 
their  hearing;  also  infomung  them  that  in  several 


M4        TBB  MAKING  Ot  A  CANADIAN 

conversations  he  had  had  with  me,  I  had  corroborated 
all  Mr.  Thorbum's  statements  by  producing  docu- 
mentary evidence  which  proved  all  he  had  said.  Mr. 
Anderson  also  assured  them  that  he  was  convinced  that 
dieir  interests  would  be  perfectly  safe  in  my  hands. 

I  was  then  called  into  the  office  by  Mr.  Anderson 
and  asked  to  repeat  what  I  had  told  Mr.  Wyman  and 
himself  of  my  business  experience  in  Canada;  which  I 
did — also  said  that  by  coming  into  close  touch  with 
•ome  of  the  largest  dry  goods  merchants  throughout  the 
country  I  discovered  that  a  very  large  turnover  could 
be  made  in  their  several  lines,  were  it  possible  to  sell 
the  goods  direct  to  the  merchants  in  Canada  at  first 
hand,  thus  dimuiating  the  profits  <^  the  middle  man; 
that  I  was  prepared  to  sell  their  goods  for  them  to  the 
Canadian  trade  direct  and  all  the  extra  profit  the  mer- 
chant would  have  to  pay  was  the  five  per  cent  com- 
mission which  I  charged  for  selling  the  goods. 

After  a  short  conversation  among  themselves,  they 
decided  my  argunwnts  were  good,  and  to  give  me  the 
agencies  for  their  several  lines  for  Canada.  Mr. 
Anderson  made  out  a  rough  draft  of  the  agreement, 
which  was  satisfactory,  and  it  was  handed  to  the  firm's 
lawyer  to  make  out  seven  copies  which  were  subse- 
quently signed  by  each  d  the  representatives  and 
myself. 

That  afternoon,  six  bundles  of  samples  arrived  at 
my  hotel;  a  complete  line  from  each  one  of  the  man- 
ufacturers for  whom  I  was  now  the  accredited  repre- 
sentative for  Canada.  I  felt  so  thankful  that  the 
great  problem  was  solved  which  had  been  racking  my 
brain  for  die  past  twdve  months.  My  only  anxiety 


SUCCESS  AS  A  COMMISSION  MERCHANT  MS 


now  was  to  get  back  to  Toronto  as  soon  as  possible, 
go  to  work  and  produce  results  and  prove  that  I  waa 
worthy  of  the  ooofidence  pkced  in  me  by  Mr.  Thor- 
bum,  Mr.  Wyman  and  Mr.  Anderwn,  as  well  as  the 
representatives  of  the  manufacturers  who  had  intrusted 
me  with  their  business. 

The  following  morning  I  called  on  Mr.  Wyman  and 
Mr.  Anderson  to  say  good-bye  and  thank  them  for 
their  great  kindness.  I  succeeded  in  doing  it,  but  not 
to'my  satisfaction,  for  my  heart  was  full  to  overflowing 
with  gratitude  which  my  lips  were  unable  to  express. 
But  they  understood  how  I  felt,  and  wished  me  all 
kinds  of  good  luck  as  I  parted  with  them. 

Shortly  after  my  return  to  Toronto  I  wrote  letters 
to  both  of  them  and  I  am  sure  that  on  reading  them 
they  realized  I  was  not  ungrateful  for  what  they  had 

done  for  me.  .  #.  . 

I  very  soon  found  an  office  to  my  satisfaction  and 
the  very  next  day  called  on  the  proprietor  of  the 
largest  dry  goods  house  in  the  city— a  fine  Christian 
gentleman— one  whom  I  had  known  for  some  time; 
after  explaining  my  business  by  informing  him  I  had 
been  appointed  the  Canadian  agent  for  six  of  the 
largest  manufacturing  houses  in  the  United  Sutes  and 
giving  him  quotations,  which  were  to  much  better 
than  he  had  been  paying  for  the  same  goods,  he  be- 
came interested  at  once  and  called  the  two  buyers  for 
this  class  of  goods  into  his  office  and  between  them  they 
made  out  orders  for  goods  which  netted  me  over  six 
hundred  dollars  in  commissions.  I  was  more  than  glad 
to  be  able  to  forward  orders  to  each  of  my  housei 
inside  of  ten  days  after  leaving  New  York. 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


I  mnst  admit  that  I  basaa  to  feel  my  head  swell  at 
the  luccett  which  crowned  my  efforts  during  the 
following  few  weeks,  for  I  had  sold  a  much  larger 
quantity  of  goods  than  1  ever  had  anticipated  and 
received  such  flattering  letters  from  my  New  Ya* 
hoiites  that  I  had  to  take  mytdf  to  task  one  evening 
iriien  sitting  in  my  room,  after  liaving  had  a  very 
successful  day,  and  said  to  myself  "If  a  little  extra 
prosperity  is  going  to  swell  your  head  and  make  you 
proud,  it  were  much  better  had  you  not  met  with  it," 
and  decided  that  tivtamg  for  all  time,  that  I  was  not 
going  to  allow  either  prosperity  or  adversity  to  make 
any  difFer«iice  in  my  actions,  but  would  try  to  meet 
all  conditions  as  they  presented  themselves  like  a  man, 
and  not  allow  them,  in  the  slightest  degree,  to  alter 
or  interfere  with  my  feelings  or  actions. 

A  few  days  after  this  heart-to-heart  talk  with 
myself,  I  met  Mr.  Glassnan  at  the  door  of  his  ware- 
house. He  shook  hands  with  me  very  cordially  and 
invited  me  into  his  office.  "Why,  Arling,  my  dear 
fiellow,  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,  for  I  am  certainly 
gUd  to  hear  you  are  doing  so  wellt  Now,  tell  me  all 
the  news,  particularly  as  to  your  welfare,  for  I  am 
more  than  anxious  to  see  you  do  well."  "Yes,  Mr. 
Glassman,"  I  answered,  "I  am  certainly  doing  much 
better  than  I  had  any  reason  to  expect  in  so  short  a 
time;  I  was  satisfied  I  could  make  a  success  of  it  if  I 
could  manage  to  get  hold  of  the  right  agencies;  but 
through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Thorbum,  the  American 
G>nsul,  I  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Wyman,  of  the  Dun- 
Wyman  Mercantile  Agency,  New  York,  and  through 
his  great  infauence  I  was  enabled  to  accomplish  in  a 


AS  A  COMMISBEON  BIERCHANT  247 

few  aiyi  whit  I  dKNiiht  would  hive  taken  me  months 
to  achieve.  Mr.  Wyman  and  his  chief  clerk,  Mr. 
Anderson,  put  me  on  a  solid  footing  at  once  with  the 
cream  of  the  manufacturing  industries  in  the  United 
States,  for  the  lines  I  was  interested  in.  This  jp^v« 
me  the  surt  I  had  wiAed  for  to  long  »nd  I  am  building 
up  a  fine  connection  with  the  large  trade.  I  have  only 
been  working  for  six  weeks,  and  yet  in  that  time  I  have 
cleared  one  thousand  dollars  in  commissions.  I  am 
trying  hard  to  prove  to  Mr.  Thorbum,  Mr.  Wyman 
and  Mr.  Anderson  that  their  confidence  has  not  been 
mupkced.  But  the  moet  beautiful  part  of  it  all  is, 
that  these  gentlemen  seem  to  be  a«  much  pleased  at 
my  success  as  I  am  myself.  ^ 

Mr.  Glassman  congratulated  me  on  my  bnght 
prospects,  but  warned  me  not  to  allow  a  little  finanaal 
success  to  spoil  me;  for  he  said  it  had  been  proved 
that  thousands  of  men  were  able  to  struggle  along 
through  adversity  where  but  few  could  stand  prosperity. 
I  told  him  I  had  already  taken  myself  to  task  on  that 
very  subject,  and  was  going  to  try  hard  to  remain 
normal.  He  bade  me  good-bye  and  urged  me  to  call 
and  see  him  again  toon;  and,  if  I  needed  a  fnend, 
or  advice  at  any  time,  to  come  to  him. 

I  liked  the  business  and  it  went  on  prospering,  so 
that  at  the  end  of  the  first  six  months  I  had  cleared 
three  times  as  much  money  as  Glassman  &  Company 
had  paid  me  for  a  whole  year's  service. 


If'  I 


t 


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CHAPTER  XIX 


UNEXPECTED  RESULT  OF  SYMPATHY 

One  evening  I  was  walking  along  King  Street  and 
a  young  man,  tor  boy,  I  should  say,  for  he  was  only 
seventeer,  accosted  me.  He  was  a  nice-looking  lad 
with  a  good,  honest4ooking  face  and  large  blue  ^es, 
but  had  the  appearance  of  having  passed  throu^ 
hard  times.  I  asked  him  what  he  wanted.  He  hung 
his  head  and  said  he  was  hungry  and  had  not  eaten  a 
bite  that  day.  His  appearaace  certainly  bore  out 
the  truth  of  that  statement. 

I  looked  him  over  carefully  and  asked  him  where 
he  came  from.  He  said  he  had  been  brought  out  from 
England  two  years  ago,  with  three  hundred  other  boys, 
by  Miss  Rye.  "Miss  Rye"  was  a  philanthropic 
En^sh  lady  who  picked  up  homeless  lads  on  the 
streets  of  London  and  other  large  cities  in  England, 
and  brought  them  out  to  Canada  or  Australia  and 
bound  them  out  to  farmers;  and  most  of  them  turned 
out  well  and  became  good  citizens.  But  he  said  the 
fanner  and  his  wife  to  whom  he  was  bound  were  very 
cruel  and  treated  him  so  badly  that  he  had  run  away 
and  had  stolen  rides  on  railroad  trains  and  farm 
wagons,  but  at  last  had  arrived  at  Toronto  early  that 
morning.  He  had  tried  hard  to  get  a  job,  but  failed; 
and  as  he  had  no  money  he  had  not  had  anything 

948 


UNEXPECTED  RESULT  OP  SYMPATHY  249 


to  eat  since  the  night  before.  So  I  told  him  to  come 
along  with  me;  I  took  him  to  a  cheap  restaurant  on 
York  Street  and  ordered  a  good  meal  for  him;  I 
watched  him,  without  his  noticing  that  I  was  doing 
so,  and  he  certainly  ate  more  like  a  hungry  dog  than 
like  a  human  being.  I  became  very  sorry  for  him.  I 
allowed  him  to  eat  all  he  could  hold;  and  then  walked 
along  the  street  with  him  and  questioned  him  as  to  his 
history. 

He  was  so  frank,  and  apparently  sincere  in  all  that 
he  said,  I  became  greatly  interested  in  him;  and  the 
thought  came  into  my  mind:  "Other  men,  perfect 
strangers,  have  been  mighty  kind  to  you  and  have 
given  you  a  good  start  in  life;  now,  why  not  pass  it 
along — as  you  promised  yourself  you  would  do,  if  you 
had  a  chance — and  help  this  poor,  homeless  English 
lad."  I  asked  him  his  name  and  he  said  it  was  "Walter 
Owens." 

"Now,"  said  I,  "Walter,  if  I  try  to  help  you,  will 
you  try  to  help  yourself?"  He  said,  "Oh,  sir,  if  you 
will  only  give  me  a  chance  I  will  do  all  I  can  to  please 
you  and  will  certainly  try  my  best  to  do  what  is  right." 
So  I  told  him  I  would;  and  if  I  found  that  he  behaved 
himself  and  was  worthy,  I  would  put  him  in  the  way 
of  making  a  man  out  of  himself. 

I  then  took  him  to  a  ready-made  clothing  store 
and  fitted  him  out  with  a  complete  outfit  from  his  new 
shoes  to  his  hat.  The  storekeeper  told  me  of  a  clean, 
moderate-priced  boarding  house  near  by,  where  I 
secured  a  room  for  him  with  board.  I  told  the  land- 
lady his  story  and  asked  her  to  look  after  him.  I 
then  advised  him  to  uke  a  bath  at  once  and  go  right 


S50 


THE  IIAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


to  bed  and  have  a  good  sleep;  and  in  the  morning  to 
put  on  his  new  clothes  and  meet  me  at  my  office  at 
eight  o'clock.  I  paid  the  landlady  a  week's  board  in 
advance  and  left  him  in  her  hands. 

I  was  wondering  if  he  would  turn  up  in  the  morning 
and  make  good  as  he  promised;  but,  sure  enough, 
when  I  arrived  at  the  office  the  next  morning,  there 
he  was  standing  at  the  door  waiting  for  me.  He 
made  a  very  presoitable  appearance  in  his  new  outfit 
and  was  really  a  very  nice-looking  boy;  he  was  clean 
and  neat,  his  hair  nicely  combed  and  brushed,  with 
scarf  neatly  tied,  and  his  f?.ce  all  wreathed  in  smiles; 
he  came  forward  and  said,  "Mr.  Arling,  I  will  never 
forget  your  kindness  to  me  last  night  amd  for  giving 
me  this  chance;  for  if  it  had  not  been  for  you,  I  really 
think  I  would  have  starved."  I  took  him  up  into  the 
office  and  had  a  long  chat  with  him  and  wound  up  by 
saying  that  I  had  decided  to  employ  him;  and,  if  he 
behaved  himself  and  acted  right,  I  would  try  to  make  a 
good  man  out  of  him;  and  then  told  him  what  his 
duties  would  be  and  gave  him  instructions  how  to 
begin. 

He  started  in  with  a  rush  and  seemed  most  anxious 
to  please  me  in  everything  and  whenever  I  showed  the 
slightest  appreciation  of  his  efforts,  it  seemed  to  nerve 
him  on  to  try  and  do  better;  I  never  set  him  to  do  a 
single  job  that  he  did  not  do  his  level  best  to  finish 
to  my  complete  satisfaction.  He  was  at  my  heels 
wherever  I  went,  and  was  always  pleased  when  I 
allowed  him  to  go  to  the  hotel  with  me  and  if  I  had  any 
chores  to  do  of  any  kind,  he  was  only  too  glad  to  do 
them.  I  was  living  at  the  R<»sin  House  at  this  time; 


UNEXPECTED  RESULT  OP  SYBIPATHY  £51 


sometimes  I  did  certain  work  in  my  room  after  dinner 
in  the  evening,  and  when  he  knew  that  I  had  takoi  any 
work  home  with  me  that  I  had  not  been  able  to  finish 
during  the  day,  he  would  never  fail  to  turn  up  and  ask 
to  be  allowed  tc  help  me;  and  if  I  had  nothing  for  him 
to  do,  of  his  own  volition  he  would  take  my  clothes 
out  of  the  wardrobe  and  bureau  drawers,  brush  and 
whisk  them  well,  and  as  I  had  shown  him  how  to  fold 
them  up  and  put  them  away,  he  became  an  expert 
and  could  do  the  job  as  well  as  I  could  do  it  myself. 
He  always  had  my  shoes  and  rubbers  polished  and 
cleaned,  and  they  were  ready  for  use  at  any  time.  He 
kept  himself  busy  constantly  doing  something  for  me, 
without  my  telling  him,  and  atuched  himself  to  me  to 
that  extent  that  everybody  in  the  hotel  knew  him  as 
my  boy,  and  called  him  "Arling's  Tiger,"  and  all 
pronounced  him  the  most  faithful  lad  they  had  ever 
heard  of. 

This  had  been  going  on  for  mondis;  he  never 
seemed  to  grow  tired  of  trying  to  show  me  that  he  was 
grateful  for  what  I  had  done  for  him.  One  evening  I 
told  him  I  would  not  need  him  that  night,  as  I  was 
going  to  a  very  large  affair,  or,  as  they  called  it,  an 
"At  Home,"  at  a  friend's  house,  and  as  I  might  not 
get  hnne  until  late,  I  wouh)  not  need  him  that  night. 
But  at  Bamum's  Circus  was  in  the  city,  I  handed  him 
fifty  cents  and  told  him  to  go  there  and  enjoy  himself. 
He  thanked  me  for  the  fifty  cents  and  started  off"  in 
great  spirits  for  the  show.  I  then  put  on  my  dress  suit 
and  took  a  cab  and  started  for  Queen's  Park,  where  the 
home  of  my  entertainer  was  situated.  I  met  some 
voy  bvely  people  there,  for  the  first  time,  from^Ham- 


9S9         THE  BfAKING  OF  A  CANADUN 

ilton,  Dundas,  Brantford,  Peterboro  and  other  places, 
nearly  all  the  near  by  cities  and  large  towns  had  rep- 
resentatives at  this  very  large  function.  The  house 
and  grounds  were  very  beautifully  illuminated  and  it 
was  one  of  the  most  largely  attended  affairs  I  was 
ever  invited  to.  There  m  'st  have  been  at  least  four 
hundred  people  scattered  through  the  house,  and  its 
spacious  grounds,  enjoying  themselves  in  different 
ways.  A  very  large  marquee  with  a  polished  cedar 
flooiT  had  been  erected  on  the  lawn,  where  scores  of 
couples  were  enjoyincr  themselves  dancing  to  the  music 
of  an  orchestra  of  twenty  pieces.  It  was  certainly  a 
brilliant  affair  and  the  guests  did  not  begin  to  depart 
until  the  early  streaks  of  dawn  began  to  appear.  I 
arrived  home  at  my  hotel  at  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  as  soon  as  I  entered  my  room  I  discov- 
ered that  some  one  had  been  there  ahead  of  me  and 
had  removed,  or  stolen,  the  whole  of  my  wardrobe  and 
belongings;  I  had  rather  an  extensive  wardrobe,  too, 
and  considerable  jewelry,  as  wett  as  two  very  fine 
trunks;  but  everything  was  gone,  with  the  exception 
of  an  old  trunk  in  which  I  put  my  soiled  linen  for  the 
laundry.  This  trunk  was  partially  filled  with  soiled 
linen,  but  underneath  the  things  I  had  stowed  away  was 
two  hundred  dollars  in  silver  money  ^ich  I  had  not 
been  able  to  bank  that  day.  Of  course  the  thief,  or 
burglar,  did  not  get  this. 

I  rang  my  bell  and  the  night  clerk  and  night  watch- 
man came  up  and  were  thunderstruck  when  they  saw 
the  condition  of  my  room  and  discovered  the  extent 
of  my  loss.  They  at  once  woke  up  the  proprietor  of  the 
hotel  and  brou^t  him  up  to  my  room.   I  was  just  as 


UNEXPECTED  RESULT  OP  SYMPATHY  95S 


much  at  sea  as  to  the  solution  of  the  afFair  as  they  were. 
The  proprietor  of  the  hotel  immediately  sent  one  of  his 
men  to  die  Central  Police  Station  for  a  detective 
officer,  and  in  a  few  moments  returned  with  Detective 
Short,  who  began  as  soon  as  he  entered  the  room  asking 
me  questions  as  to  who  had  access  to  my  room,  when  I 
had  left  it  last,  and  as  to  the  condition  it  was  in  when 
I  started  out  the  evening  before.  Then  he  sent  for  the 
two  colored  porters  who  were  <»i  duty  the  evening 
before,  and  as  soon  as  they  arrived  asked  them  who  had 
taken  the  trunks  from  my  room;  but  they  positively 
declared  that  no  trunks  had  been  removed  to  their 
knowledge.  The  detecrive  was  absolutely  mystified. 
I  had  to  borrow  a  business  suit;  fortunately  my 
tailor  happened  to  have  one  which  he  had  just  finishnl 
for  another  customer,  who,  on  hearing  of  my  plight, 
kindly  allowed  me  to  have  it;  for  I  did  not  have  a  single 
suit  of  clothes  to  wear  to  the  office,  as  every  suit  was 
missing  but  the  dress  suit  I  had  on  the  evening  before. 
The  nMasuremaits  of  the  borrowed  suit  were  exactly 
the  same  as  mine,  so  the  tailor  induced  his  customer 
to  let  me  retain  it  and  he  would  make  him  up  another 
at  once. 

When  I  arrived  at  the  office  Walter  was  wairing  for 
me  at  the  door  and  expressed  the  greatest  surprise  when 
I  told  him  of  the  robbery,  and  denounced  the  per- 
petrator of  the  deed  as  the  meanest  scoundrel  he  had 
ever  heard  of.  He  advanced  the  idea  that  it  must 
have  been  one  of  the  other  boarders  at  the  hotel  who 
had  stolen  my  wardrobe,  as  no  one  had  seen  the  trunks 
leave  the  house  and  diey  could  not  possibly  have  been 
taken  out  without  the  knowledge  of  the  hall  men,  and 


tM        THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

they  had  positively  declared  they  had  not  seen  them 
removed. 

Detective  Short  came  in  very  toon,  and  put  Walter 
through  a  regular  third  degree  examinatici;  but  he 
stout-^y  declared  he  had  gone  to  the  circus  immediately 
after  leaving  me  and  never  once  went  near  the  hotel. 
He  at  last  began  to  cry  and  called  on  God  to  strike 
him  dead  if  he  had  told  either  myself  or  the  detective 
anything  but  the  solemn  tn*  i  And  so  it  remained 
a  mystery  for  some  time. 

Three  or  four  weeks  after  the  robbery  I  was  in  a 
hurry  closing  my  mail  for  the  day  and  just  before  lock- 
ing up  I  remembered  that  I  had  to  buy  some  under- 
clothing before  going  back  to  the  hotel;  ^^d  before 
closing  the  safe,  I  took  two  ten  dollar  biL  ut  of  the 
cash  box  and  put  them  into  the  breast  pocket  of  my 
overcoat  which  was  hanging  on  the  rack.  I  then 
went  back  to  my  desk,  pulled  the  lid  down  and  kcked 
it.  Walter,  in  the  meantime,  had  covered  up  all  the 
goods  on  the  sample  tables  widi  the  long  cambric 
sheets  which  we  used  for  that  purpose;  as  soon  as  he 
was  through  I  picked  up  the  letters  and  we  walked 
out  of  the  office  together,  and  I  locked  the  door  and 
put  the  key  in  my  pocket. 

He  and  I  went  down  the  two  flights  of  stairs  and 
emerged  on  King  Street.  As  soon  as  we  got  out  into 
the  fresh  air,  I  found  that  it  was  very  cold,  and  I  had 
not  brought  down  my  overcoat  with  me;  so  I  handed 
the  office  key  to  Walter  and  told  him  to  run  upstairs 
and  fetch  my  coat.  He  started  <^  at  once  and  ran  up 
the  stairs,  but  I  had  to  wait  for  quite  a  little  while 
before  he  returned,  and  when  he  did  come  down  I 


VHKXmCTBSD  BBSDLT  OF  SYMPATHY  t55 


asked  him  what  kept  him  so  long.  He  said  he  found 
diat  tome  <^  tlie  samplet  were  not  dioroughly  covered 
and  he  remained  long  enough  to  cover  diem  properly. 
I  thought  no  more  about  it,  but  bade  him  good-evening 
and  walked  down  town  to  attend  to  my  shopping. 

When  I  had  completed  my  purchases,  I  took  out 
my  purse  to  pay  for  them  and  found  that  I  did  not 
have  enoi^  money,  but  then  thought  <^  the  two  ten 
dollar  billa  which  I  had  put  in  the  breast  pocket  of 
my  overcoat,  and  found  that  there  was  only  one  bill  in 
my  pocket  instead  of  two;  and  I  was  positively  sure 
I  had  put  two  ten  dollar  bills  into  my  overcoat  pocket, 
and  ccmld  not  imagine  what  had  become  of  the  second 
bill,  for  die  first  dme  since  the  robbery,  it  flashed 
into  my  mind  that  Walter  had  taken  it,  for  he  had  seen 
me  put  the  bills  into  the  pocket  of  th  overcoat  and 
then  hang  it  on  the  rack.  I  immediately  walked  over 
to  the  Central  Police  Stadon  and  met  Detective  Short 
coming  out  oi  die  door,  and  told  him  whzt  had  hap- 
pened. He  taid  at  once:  "Do  you  know,  Mr.  Arling, 
T  have  suspected  that  boy  from  the  very  first,  and  have 
en  watching  his  movements  ever  since  the  first 
inoming  I  quesdoned  him  at  your  office.  Let  us  go  to 
his  boarding  house  immediately,  before  he  has  dme  to 
change  his  clothes."  We  met  Walter  sitdng  on  the 
ttoc^  in  front  of  the  house,  and,  without  any  prelim- 
inaries, Detecdve  Short  said  to  him:  "I  want  you  to 
come  up  to  your  room  as  we  want  to  speak  to  you  in 
private."  He  made  a  movement  as  if  going  to  make  a 
run  for  it,  but  Detecdve  Short  grabbed  him  by  the  arm 
and  in  a  very  different  tone  of  voice  said,  "Come  in, 
•iri  We  wiU  have  a  lot  to  say  to  you  now." 


£56 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


We  took  him  up  to  his  room  and  the  detective  closti 
and  locked  the  door.  Walter's  face  changed  at  once 
from  the  habitual  smile  to  one  of  intense  anger  and  he 
•aid,  "What  do  you  want  of  me,  anyway?"  The 

detective  said,  "I  want  that  ten  dollar  bill  you  ab- 
stracted from  Mr.  Arling's  overcoat  pocket;  hand  it 
over  at  once!"  As  Walter  hesitated,  the  detective 
told  him  to  hold  up  his  hands,  and  without  the  slightest 
hesitation,  went  through  his  pocket.  The  first  diing 
he  took  out  of  his  hip  pocket  was  a  good-sized  revolver, 
and  handing  it  over  to  me,  said:  "Do  you  think,  Mr. 
Arling,  it  is  at  all  necessary  for  a  boy  like  this  to  carry 
a  thing  of  this  kind  in  his  pocket?  I  think  notl  We 
will  now  find  the  ten  dollar  bill."  He  made  Walter 
strip,-— but  found  nothing.  He  then  said,  "Now, 
young  man,  take  off  your  shoes  and  stockings."  As 
Walter  refused,  he  tumbled  him  over  on  the  bed  and 
soon  had  them  off  and  right  up  in  the  toe  of  his  right 
shoe  found  the  ten  dollar  bill. 

"Now,"  said  the  detective,  "what  have  you  done 
with  all  the  clothes  and  other  things  you  stole  out  of 
Mr.  Arling's  room?  and,  I  will  tell  you  right  now  that 
if  you  own  up  to  the  robbery  and  make  a  full,  clean 
breast  of  it,  giving  us  all  the  facts,  and  who  helped 
you  to  carry  the  trunks  out  of  the  room,  it  will  go 
easier  with  you  when  you  are  tried  before  the  magis- 
trate." Walter  saw  that  the  game  was  up,  and,  beg* 
ging  for  mercy,  made  a  full  confession.  He  said  he 
had  stood  in  the  street  the  night  of  the  robbery  and 
saw  me  leave  the  hotel  in  a  cab;  and  about  an  hour 
afterwards  walked  in  and  told  die  two  hall  men  that 
I  had  revived  a  td^^ram  to  leave  on  the  ten  o'clock 


UNEXPECTED  BESULT  OF  SYMPATHY  U7 


train  diat  night  for  Montreal,  and  that  I  had  aoit  him 
to  p»ck  up  my  two  trunks  and  as  soon  as  they  were 
packed  he  would  let  them  know  and  they  could  come 
up  to  the  room  and  help  him  down  with  them.  He  said 
that  every  one  in  ihe  hotel  knew  that  he  was  my  boy, 
and  no  one  mterfered  with  him.  The  two  porters 
carried  die  trunkt  downttairt  and  loaded  diem  on  an 
expren  wagon  which  he  had  hired,  and  he  got  up  on 
the  seat  with  the  driver,  and  they  drove  to  his  board- 
ing house.  He  found  that  there  was  no  one  in  the 
house  at  the  dme,  so  they  carried  the  trunks  up  into 
die  atdc;  for  it  was  seldom  entered  by  any  one  and 
he  knew  th^  would  not  be  discovered,  it  was  so  hard 
to  get  at.  , 

Among  other  things  which  he  had  taken  the  night 
of  the  robbery  was  my  large  traveling  satchel,  which 
he  left  in  his  room  for  several  days  so  that  the  land- 
bdy  would  get  accu8tt>med  to  seeing  it.  He  after- 
wards told  her  that  I  had  given  it  to  him;  and,  of 
course,  as  her  suspicions  vere  allayed,  he  had  no 
trouble  in  taking  the  clothes  out, — a  few  at  a  time, 
in  this  satchel,  and  disposing  of  them  or  pawning  them. 
The  detecdve  dien  went  up  to  the  atdc  and  found  the 
two  trunks,  but  they  were  almost  empty,  but  did  find 
several  pieces  of  my  jewelry,  and  a  number  of  keep- 
sakes which  I  prized;  these,  of  course,  I  took  away 
with  me.  Walter  had  stowed  them  away  at  the  back 
oi  tmt  of  the  bureau  drawers,  and  in  the  satchel.  The 
detecdve  put  all  the  things  into  the  two  trunks,  with 
the  exception  of  the  jewelry,  and  as  I  had  the  keys, 
I  locked  them. 

We  then  called  the  landlady  up  to  the  room  and  told 


t58 


THE  UkBNQ  OP  A  CANADIAN 


her  the  whole  story.  She  at  one*  tamed  on  Waltar 
Kke  a  wildcat  and  said,  "So  you  are  the  thief  that  hat 
been  robbing  the  rooms  of  the  other  boarders,  are 
you?"  She  said  that  ever  since  Walter  had  come  into 
her  house,  things  had  been  missed  by  the  other  board- 
ers, and  Walt<;r  himself  had  lodged  the  greatest  ntinber 
of  complaints,  but  at  the  same  time  had  acted  so  nica 
about  it  all,  and  sympathized  so  deepty  with  thoae 
who  ha''  been  robbed  and  was  so  active  in  trying  to 
find  out  the  thief,  and  even  offered  to  sit  up  at  night 
and  watch  the  house  while  the  others  slept,  that  no 
one  for  a  monvent  had  suspected  him.  She  deiKNinced 
him  as  an  ingrate  for  the  way  he  had  treated  me;  after 
lifting  him  out  of  the  gutter  and  feeding  him  and 
clothing  him  when  he  was  a  homeless  beggar.  She 
was  so  inflamed  with  anger  and  indignation,  that  I 
really  believe  she  would  have  half  killed  him  had  the 
detective  and  I  not  interfered. 

Walter  was  taken  to  die  police  station  and  locked 
up.  The  next  day  he  was  brought  into  court  and 
tried  for  his  crimes.  A  large  part  of  my  wardrobe 
had  been  recovered  and  was  piled  up  on  one  of  the 
tables  in  the  court  room. 

It  came  out  during  the  trial  that  Walter  was  an 
old  offender  and  had  been  convicted  of  theft  on  sev- 
eral occasions.  The  judge  sentenced  him  to  ten  years 
at  hard  labor  in  the  Kingston  penitentiary. 

Of  course  I  would  not  wear  the  stolen  clothes 
again.  So  they  were  sold  by  one  of  the  court  atteod- 
ants  to  a  second-hand  clothes  dealer  for  thirty  dollars, 
which  I  gave  to  the  detective. 

I  visited  Walter  at  the  penitentiary  several  times 


UNEXfBCTBD  RESULT  OF  SYMPATHY  U9 


during  hit  incaiceration,  but  limply  scowled  at  me 
and  acted  as  though  he  thought  I  had  done  him  a 
great  injustice.  After  serving  his  full  time  he  was 
liberated  with  two  other  convicts,  and,  the  very  night 
of  the  day  diqr  obtained  dieir  freedom,  dicy  broke 
into  a  wholesale  grocery  wardiouM  and  were  ou^t 
red-han&ed  in  trying  to  blow  open  the  safe. 

Walter  v/as  again  tried,  and,  on  account  of  his  pre- 
vious conviCtions,  was  sentenced  to  twenty-five  years 
in  the  same  institution  he  had  been  liberated  from 
Mily  1  few  daya  prevbut;  and  only  tatted  die  iweett 
of  freedom  for  tw^nty^ltnir  hoiin. 


CHAPTER  XX 


KATY— AND  HER  SISTER 

I  HAD  succeeded  beyond  my  best  expectations  in 
the  commission  business.  The  American  manufac- 
turers, whom  I  represented  in  Canada,  were  more  than 
pleased  with  my  efforts  and  lost  no  opportunity  to  let 
me  see  that  they  were  more  than  satisfied  with  all  I 
was  doing  for  them.   I  had  worked  up  a  fine  connec- 
tion—principally with  the  large  wholesale  trade; 
and,  as  a  consequence,  I  only  visited  the  cities  and 
large  towns,  and  did  not  require  to  be  on  the  road  more 
than  one-half  the  time;  the  other  half  of  course  was 
sppiit  in  Toronto,  with  an  occasional  run  down  to 
New  York.   I  had  become  acquainted  with  a  great 
many  very  nice  families  in  Toronto  and  was  invited 
out  (but  always  with  Chris)  a  great  deal;  for  we  were 
noted  all  over  the  city  for  our  singing  together  both 
duets  and  solos,  and,  added  to  this,  we  were  both  con- 
sidered pretty  good  story  tellers.   On  one  occasion  of 
this  kind,  in  the  course  of  the  evening,  Chris,  Tom 
MacCutcheon,  Charley  Kurd  and  myself,  were  having 
a  chat  in  one  comer  of  the  large  parlor;  we  four  were 
very  great  friends  and  always  chummed  together.  As 
usual,  we  were  talking  about  boating  and  decided  that 
yachting  was  the  best  summer  sport  in  the  world.  At 
last  I  said,  "Boys,  what's  the  matter  with  our  owning 

980 


KATY— AND  HEB  SISTER  •  Ml 


a  yacht  of  our  own?"  "Mac,"  for  that  is  what  we 
always  called  MacCutcheon,  and  Chris,  became  quite 
enthusiastic  over  the  suggestion  at  once;  but  Charley 
Hard  did  not  seem  to  oithuse  quite  as  much  as  they 
did.  By  and  by  he  started  off  and  began  chatting 
with  some  ladies  at  the  other  end  of  the  room;  but 
we  kept  up  the  conversation  on  boating,  and  yachting 
in  particular.  I  told  them  I  was  going  on  a  trip  very 
soon  to  Montreal  and  intended  calling  at  all  the  large 
cities  and  towns  in  the  East  on  my  way  back,  including 
Kingston. 

Mac  said,  "Jack,  if  you  are  going  to  Kingston  why 
not  go  and  see  O'Gorman  (he  was  the  leading  yacht 
builder  in  Canada),  for  I  have  known  him  since  I  was  a 
small  boy  and  if  we  order  a  yacht  from  him,  I  am  sure 
he  will  turn  us  out  a  fine  boat;  one  to  be  proud  of,  and 
at  a  reasonable  price.  You  know  Kingston  is  my 
home;  mother  lives  there  still,  in  the  old  homestead 
ntxt  door  to  CyGorman's;  his  son  and  I  are  of  the 
same  age  and  we  were  constantly  together  until  we 
grew  up.  He  went  to  Montreal  and  I  came  to  Toronto. 
When  you  see  O'Gorman,  Jack,  be  sure  and  tell  him 
that  you  want  a  yacht  for  Chris,  yourself  and  Tom 
MacCutcheon,  and  when  he  hears  that  I  am  to  be  one 
cS  die  owners,  he  will  certainly  do  the  right  thing  by 
us."  So  we  decided  to  purchase  a  yacht  and  have  it 
ready  for  the  next  season's  boating. 

After  this  decision  was  finally  arrived  at  we  turned 
our  attention  to  the  great  throng  of  people  who  were 
passing  through  the  parlor  in  which  we  were  sitting. 
For  some  little  time  back  Chris  acted  as  thou^  he 
had  lost  all  consciousness  of  our  pmence,  and  was 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


looking  very  intently  at  some  object  or  person  at  the 
other  side  of  the  room;  his  eyes  fairly  glistened  with 
the  intensity  of  his  gaze.    I  said  to  Mac  in  a  sort  of  a 
stage  whisper,  "What  in  the  world  has  come  over 
Chris?   He  seems  stage-struck."  "Why!"  said  Mac, 
"don't  you  see  that  new  beauty  from  Ottawa?  I 
mean  the  one  talking  to  Charley  Kurd.   Charley  is 
fascinated  with  her  and  is  at  her  beck  and  call  all  the 
time.   I  heard  only  yesterday  that  they  were  engaged 
to  be  married."   I  looked,  as  directed,  and  sure 
enough,  she  was  a  very  beautiful  girl  of  about  twenty, 
medium  height,  with  a  wealth  of  light  auburn  hair 
slightly  tinged  with  gold  and  done  up  in  a  high,  co- 
quettish style  by  some  skillful  French  coiffeur,  which 
made  her  look  much  taller.    She  carried  herself  very 
erect,  with  her  head  thrown  back,  so  that  her  hand- 
some face  could  be  seen  by  everybody  present.  She 
had  large  hazel  eyes,  bow-shaped  lips,  though  rather 
thin,  but  when  parted  in  smiling  or  laughing,  disclosed  a 
most  immaculate  set  of  teeth,  as  white  and  even  as 
Oriental  pearls;  her  complexion  was  rather  florid  if 
anything;  she  was  most  beautifully  gpwned  in  a  white 
satin  dress  trimmed  with  white  lace,  and  long  train. 
The  only  thing  about  her  appearance  which  I  did  not 
really  like  was  her  walk;  she  seemed  to  glide  rather 
than  walk,  with  very  short  .ight  mincing  steps  as  if  her 
feet  hardly  touched  the  ground,  but  carried  her  shapely 
figure  widi  the  air  of  a  queen. 

She  certainly  seemed  to  have  the  faculty  of  drawing 
men  to  her  side  by  some  magnetic  influence  and  held 
them  so  that  they  considered  themselves  amply 
repaid  for  their  attentions  to  her,  if  they  only  recoved 


KATY— AND  HER  SISTER  26S 


a  smile  or  a  nod  occasionally.  But  I  noticed  at  the 
same  time  that  she  did  not  seem  to  have  the  same 
drawing  powers,  nor  was  she  able  to  exert  the  same 
influence  over  her  own  sex,  which  she  exercised  to  such 
a  large  d^ree  over  the  men,  for  there  were  but  few 
ladies  in  her  immediate  vicinity. 

Chris  seemed  to  have  made  up  his  mind  to  a  cer- 
tain course  of  action,  and  left  us  in  a  most  uncere- 
monious fashion  and  went  into  the  next  room.  In  a 
few  moments  we  saw  him  return  with  the  hostess  of  the 
evening,  Mrs.  Wheaton.  She  was  leaning  on  his  arm, 
and  he  conducted  her  directly  to  the  corner  of  the  room 
where  Miss  White  (for  that  was  her  name)  was  enter- 
taining her  coterie  of  admiring  swams.  Mac  and 
I  walked  over  to  see  what  was  going  to  happen.  Mrs. 
Wheaton  said,  "Miss  White,  I  am  very  anxious  to 
make  you  acquainted  with  a  very  dear  young  gentle- 
man friend  of  mine.  Allow  me  to  introduce  you  to 
Mr.  Chris  Arling.  Mr.  Arling,  Miss  White."  "Why, 
Mr.  Arling,"  said  Miss  White,  "I  am  charmed  to 
make  your  acquaintance.  None  of  my  lady  friends 
have  even  volunteered  to  introduce  us!  I  am  much 
afraid  they  feared  I  was  going  to  run  awa>  with  you  and 
steal  you  from  them,  for  certainly  every  one  I  have 
met  so  far,  among  the  ladies,  at  least,  seem  to  think 
they  have  a  little  mortgage  on  the  Arling  brothers; 
isn't  that  so?  and  I  really  wanted  to  meet  you."  Chris 
was  a  very  handsome  fellow,  but  rather  susceptible; 
and  seemed  greatly  pleased  that  she  admitted  the 
desire  to  make  his  acquaintance.  They  very  soon 
got  into  an  animated  conversation  and  she  monopo- 
lized Chris  for  the  rest  of  the  evening,  much  to  the 


864 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


apparent  disgust  and  resentment  of  the  rest  of  her 
many  admirers.   Mac  and  I  were  not  introduced,  nor 
did  we  seek  an  introduction;  but  returned  to  the 
seats  in  the  comer  of  the  parlor  where  we  were  having 
such  a  nice  cwiversation.  We  both  noticed  the 
intimacy  which  sprang  up  so  suddenly  between  Qiris 
and  Miss  White;  I  certainly  became  a  little  bit  anxious 
on  Chris's  account,  for  I  perfectly  well  knew  how  easily 
he  could  fall  to  the  wiles  of  so  beautiful  and  fascinating 
a  young  woman  as  Miss  White  appeared  to  be;  and 
who  seemed  to  have  the  power  to  charm  or  cast  a  spell 
over  the  men  who  came  inside  her  circle  of  acquaint- 
ance.  So  I  began  to  size  her  up,  as  we  boys  used  to 
say.    She  did  not  seem  to  have  the  wholesome,  sincere 
charm  of  manner  I  admired  so  much,  and  possessed 
by  so  many  of  the  young  girls  who  made  up  the  bulk 
of  my  acouaintancc.   So  I  said  to  Mac,  "What  do 
you  think  of  Miss  White?"   "Why,  Jack,  that  is 
rather  a  poser,"  he  replied;  "I  would  hardly  like  to 
express  an  opinion,  for  I  really  am  not  acquainted  with 
her;  of  course  I  have  seen  her  several  times  at  the 
houses  of  different  friends,  but  have  usually  been  en- 
gaged in  conversation  with  somebody  else,  when  there 
was  a  possibility  of  an  introduction."    "Well,"  I  said, 
"that  is  tantamount  to  saying  you  do  not  want  an 
introduction  to  her,  is  it  not?"    He  replied:  "Perhaps 
you  are  right.  Jack,  but  somehow  I  have  got  it  into 
my  head  that  she  is  not  sincere;  and  I  abhor  iiisin- 
cerity."    "That  is  just  the  conclusion  I  have  arrived 
at  myself,"  I  said;  "she  is  certainly  proud,  haughty, 
imperious  and  vain.   And  that  being  the  case,  she 
must  also  be  selfish;  and  aU  these,  in  my  mind,  are 


KATY— AND  HER  SISTER 


unpardonable  sins;  but  in  saying  thif  I  hope  I  am  not 
doing  her  an  injustice." 

"But,"  said  Mac,  "she  belongs  to  a  good  family; 
her  father  is  a  celebrated  physician;  her  mother  is  a 
beautiful  woman  and  appears  to  be  a  very  amiable 
lady.  They  are  stopping  at  the  Morrisons'  and  I 
hear  that  Mrs.  White's  sister  is  married  to  the  elder 
Mr.  Morrison;  so  they  must  be  nice  people,  don't  you 
think  so?"  "Yes,  Mac,"  I  said,  "that  may  all  be 
very  true,  but,  after  all,  family  connections  have  little 
to  do  with  individual  character.  Sweet,  wholesome, 
sincere  girls  are  generally  beloved  by  those  of  tha: 
own  s»;  and  I  fail  to  see  many  of  oui  nice  girb  makin^ 
much  of  a  fuss  over  Miss  White.  She  seems  to  be  able 
to  drav  men  to  her  i  11  right,  but  not  girls — and  girls 
know  girls  a  thousand  times  better  than  we  do."  It  is  a 
strange  thing  to  admit,  that  here  I  was  twenty-two 
years  old,  and  was  acquainted  with  scores  of  nice 
girls  and  liked  and  admired  them  all,  and  was  fond  of 
their  society,  and  yet  had  never  fallen  in  love  with  any 
of  them  up  to  that  time.  The  only  time  I  ever  came 
near  to  it  was  with  Susie  Ralston,  Chris's  fiancee,  after 
their  engagement  was  broken  off,  but  ^he  was  so  much 
older  than  I,  it  was  out  of  the  question.  Yet  I  do  not 
believe  I  was  really  in  love  with  her,  but  allowed  myself 
to  grow  fond  of  her  for  the  reason  i'<at  I  thought  she 
was  to  have  been  Chris's  wife.  So  that  when  the 
engagement  was  broken  off,  I  felt  so  sorry  for  her  and 
sympathized  with  her  so  deeply  that  for  a  while  I 
really  thought  I  was  in  love  with  her;  but  it  was  a 
mistake,  for  I  had  never  been  in  love  with  any  one. 

A  few  days  later  I  was  walking  down  Yonge  Street 


266 


THE  BiAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


when  I  came  face  to  face  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morrison, 
Mrs.  White  and  her  daughter,  Miss  White;  they  were 
out  on  a  shopping  tour.  Mr.  Morrison  had  always 
expressed  a  kindly  feeling  of  regard  and  friendship  for 
me,  but  was  particularly  fond  of  Chris,  and  frequently 
said  he  considered  Chris  the  most  intelligent  and  the 
brightest  young  business  man  in  the  city  of  Toronto. 
And  of  course  in  entertaining  the  Whites  at  his  home, 
and  his  wife  being  Mrs.  White's  sister,  he  had  lost  no 
opportunity  of  sounding  the  praises  of  Chris  in  their 
ears.  Mr.  Morrison  hailed  me  and  said,  "Jack,  you 
are  the  very  boy  I  wanted  to  see,  for  I  am  anxious 
that  you  should  meet  Mrs.  White,  my  wife's  sister, 
and  also  her  daughter.  Miss  Mary  White,"  and  intro- 
duced us  there  and  then.  Mrs.  White  was  a  very 
handsome  woman  of  forty  or  forty-five.  She  was  tall, 
and  carried  herself  very  erect;  extremely  dignified, 
and,  like  her  daughter,  I  could  easily  see,  conscious 
of  her  good  looks,  which  of  course  made  her  proud  and 
vain;  but  at  the  same  time,  unlike  her  daughter  in 
this  respect:  her  face  posseissed  a  look  of  kindly  sym- 
pathetic amiability.  She  expressed  her  great  pleasure 
at  meeting  me,  saying  that  she  had  met  Chris  fre- 
quently during  the  past  few  evenings  at  the  Morrison 
house,  and  sincerely  trusted  that  I  would  make  it  a 
point  to  call  and  see  them  often  during  their  visit  to 
the  city. 

Then  it  was  Miss  White's  turn,  and,  in  her  gushing 
way,  said  that  she  was  simply  delighted  to  meet  me, 
for  having  formed  the  acquaintance  of  my  brother 
Chris,  and  finding  him  such  a  magnificent  fellow,  and 
such  a  general  favorite  with  eveiy  one^  she  was  sure 


KATY— AND  HER  SISTER  m 

we  would  become  fast  frioids  very  soon.  Then  ihe 
took  my  arm  and  insisted  I  should  walk  with  them  for  a 
while,  for  they  were  in  no  hurry  to  go  shopping.  She 
was  certainly  a  great  talker,  but  the  subject  of  her 
conversation  from  the  time  we  met  until  we  parted, 
was  "Chris."  She  thought  him  such  a  lovely  man, 
perfect  in  almost  everything,  and  kept  sounding  hb 
praises  to  such  an  extent  that  I  could  hardly  get  in  a 
word  edgeways.  But  at  last  I  did  get  a  chance,  and 
began  by  telling  her  of  the  many  nice  people  who  lived 
in  Toronto  and  how  kind  they  had  all  been  to  Chris 
and  myself,  and  not  only  to  us,  but  to  our  two  chums, 
and  in  this  way  gradually  brought  in  the  name  of 
Charley  Hurd.  **  And  who  are  your  two  great  chums  ? " 
she  asked;  "I  would  so  much  like  to  meet  them."  I 
told  her  that  one  was  Tom  MacCutcheon  and  the  other 
Charley  Hurd.  "  Oh ! "  she  said,  "  do  you  know  Charley 
Hurd  ? "  I  said  I  not  only  knew  Sim,  but,  if  it  had  hap- 
pened that  he  had  been  bom  a  girl  instead  of  a  boy, 
and  I  knew  him  as  I  know  him  now,  I  am  sure  I  would 
have  fallen  in  love  with  him;  for  I  considered  Charley 
Hurd  one  of  the  most  lovable  meii  I  had  ever  met 
and  that  Chris  thou^t  as  much  of  him  as  I  did;  and 
that  we  four  were  fast  friends.  "But,"  I  said,  "what 
in  the  world  is  the  use  d"  my  telling  you  anything 
about  Charley  Hurd,  for  I  hear  you  have  ki*own  him 
longer  than  I  have, — ^what  do  you  think  of  him?" 
She  said,  "You  know  his  family  and  mine  have  been 
intimate  for  many  years.  Charley  and  I  were  boy 
and  girl  together,  and  constant  playmates  as  children; 
he  is  a  nice  little  fellow,  and  I  like  him  in  a  way,  but  the 
story  floating  around  that  I  am  engaged  to  him  is 


268 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


simply  nonsense.  I  am  heart  free.  But,"  she  added, 
"when  the  right  man  comes  along,  I  may  become  en- 
gaged, but  not  until  then;  for  I  could  not  diink  of 
marrying  any  man  that  I  did  not  love  with  all  my 

heart."  I  said  good-bye  to  them  in  front  of  one  of  the 
big  drygoods  shops,  but  not  before  she  and  her  mother 
had  extracted  a  promise  from  me  to  call  on  them  very 
soon. 

I  very  loon  b^n  to  notice  quite  a  change  in  the 
relations  existing  between  Chris  and  Charley  Hurd. 

Chris  seemed  to  avoid  meeting  Charley  as  much  as 
possible,  and  Charley  began  to  wander  off  by  himself 
looking  low  spirited  afld  despondent.  As  Chris  now 
spent  all  his  spare  time  at  the  Morrison  home  or  out 
driving  and  boating  with  Miss  White,  Mac  and  I 
were  left  to  ourselves  and  saw  but  little  of  them;  but 
we  missed  them  very  much.  I  cannot  help  saying  that 
the  sympathies  of  both  of  us  were  with  Charley 
Hurd,  and  we  thought  he  was  being  treated  badly  by 
Miss  White,  for  it  was  well  known  by  all  that  she  and 
Charley  were  engaged. 

Mac  and  I  would  go  out  together  almost  every 
bright  evening  and  have  a  row  on  the  bay,  and,  as 
our  thoughts  were  usually  running  in  the  same  channel, 
would  frequently  allow  the  blades  of  the  oars  to  rest 
on  the  water,  letting  the  boat  drift  while  we  talked 
of  the  possibility  of  Chris's  marrying  Mary  White. 
Mac  said  it  was  a  foregone  conclusion,  as  anyone 
could  see  that  she  had  dropped  Charley  Hurd,  for  she 
hardly  nodced  him  now,  and  that  both  she  and  her 
mother,  backed  by  the  Morrisons,  were  leaving  no 
stone  unturned  to  land  Chris.    And  as  Chris  seemed 


KATY— AND  HER  SISTER 


to  act  as  though  he  wanted  to  be  landed,  he  felt  sure 
the  engagement  would  be  announced  before  very  long. 
I  realty  did  not  likt  the  idea  of  their  marrying,  but  did 
not  see  how  I  could  prevent  it,  and  had  to  let  matters 
drift  along  and  shape  themselves. 

Mr.  Morrison  was  a  very  old  friend  of  my  Uncle  and 
Aunt  Durand,  and  had  succeeded  in  making  them  be- 
lieve that  Mary  )^ite  was  one  of  the  loveliest  char- 
acters in  existence,  and  that  her  family  came  from  the 
oldest  and  best  stock  in  Western  Canada.  Her  father. 
Doctor  White,  was  honored  and  respected  by  every 
one,  and  her  mother  the  most  amiable,  beauriful  and 
accomplished  woman  in  their  part  of  the  country; 
and  that  by  marrying  her,  Chris  would  marry  into 
one  of  the  most  exclusive  families  in  the  City  of  Ottawa. 
In  this  way,  he  won  them  over  to  his  way  of  thinking, 
but,  at  the  same  dme,  I  k;iew  that  they  would  have 
much  preferred  his  marrying  Susie  Ralston;  but  now 
they  espoused  the  cause  of  Mary  White,  and  nothing 
was  too  good  to  say  about  her,  or  do  for  her.  Chris 
heard  nothing  at  the  table,  or  in  the  house,  but  the 
praises  of  Mary  White  and  her  high-toned  family. 
Aunt  Rebekah  gave  a  very  largely  attended  funcdon  in 
her  honor  and  invited  every  friend  that  she  had  to  it, 
lavishing  all  kinds  attentions  on  her  in  the  presence 
of  the  guests. 

So  Chris's  infatuation  increased  by  leaps  and  bounds 
for  Mary  White,  and  he  felt  that  life  would  not  be 
worth  the  living  without  her,  and,  that  very  evening, 
while  strolling  through  the  rooms  with  her  on  his  arm, 
he  conducted  her  into  a  small  sitting-room  at  the  end 
of  the  hall  upstairs,  and  during  a  tete4-tete  which 


170 


THE  IfAXING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


they  were  enjoying  alone  and  unobserved  by  any  of  die 
gueits,  he  proposed  to  her — and  she  accepted  him 
immediately. 

After  Chris  and  Mary  White  had  really  become 
engaged,  she  and  her  mother  were  in  Toronto  a  great 
deal.    I  was  pretty  busy  at  this  time  and  did  not  see 
much  of  them  unless  I  ran  across  them  by  accident  on 
one  of  their  shopping  tourt.  Coming  out  of  my  office 
one  morning,  I  saw  them  at  a  disunce  walking  in  my 
direction.   I  had  had  many  conversations  with  Mary 
White,  but  she  rarely  mentioned  her  sister  by  name,  but 
always  alluded  to  her  as  her  "little  sister,"  and  of 
course  I  imagined  she  was  only  a  small  child;  but 
this  morning  I  noticed  they  had  another  young  lady 
with  them,  and  as  soon  as  we  met,  Mrs.  White  said, 
"Jack,  this  is  my  youngest  daughter,  Katy;  Katy, 
this  is  Mr.  Jack  Arling— Chris's  brother."  After 
shaking  hands  with  her,  I  still  kept  looking  at  her  in 
surprise,  as  I  had  ahrayt  pictured  Mary's  sister,  in  my 
mind's  eye,  as  a  very  small  girl.   Mary  said,  "Why, 
Jack!  what  are  you  staring  at  Katy  so  hard  for?"  "I 
must  really  beg  MisF  'Caty's  pardon/'  I  replied,  "but 
you  must  ber.r  in  mind  you  always  referred  to  your 
sister  as  a  little  girl,  so  I  was  only  prepared  to  meet  a 
young  child;  but  instead,  I  find  mysdf  confronting  a 
charming  young  lady."    She  was  really  a  very  pretty 
girl  of  sixteen,  with  a  most  luxuriant  head  of  light- 
brown  hair  slightly  tinged  with  gold;  she  had  bright, 
sparkling  eyes  of  light  blue;  a  high,  broad,  intellec- 
tual forehead;  rosy  cheeks,  hps  like  two  red  cherries, 
and  blessed  with  a  well-knit,  shapely  figure.  She  was 
dressed  in  a  blue  broadcloth  walking  suit,  trinuned  with 


KATY— AND  HER  SISTER 


m 


gold  braid;  and  I  thought  her  a  perfect  little  picture. 
Her  mother  and  sitter  walked  ahead  and  the  an^  I 
walked  togedier  behind  them.  I  wat  charmed  widi  the 
abtolute  sincerity  which  characterized  her  every  utter* 
•ncc,  and  the  total  absence  of  criticism  in  her  conver- 
sation. She  did  not  derive  her  pleasures  from  society, 
nor  indulge  in  their  small  talk,  but  talked  of  things, 
not  men  and  women.  Her  mind,  I  discovered,  wat 
well  stored  with  facts  which  she  had  gleaned  from  the ' 
study  of  good  books.  In  fact,  she  was  a  speciet  <^ 
girl  I  had  not  come  in  contact  with  up  to  that  time. 

On  arriving  at  one  of  the  large  dry  goods  stores, 
Mrs.  White  taid  the  wat  tony  to  have  to  say  good-bye 
to  me,  as  diit  wat  their  detdnadon.  But  Katy  did 
not  teem  to  be  so  obsessed  with  shopping  as  they 
were,  and  suggested  that  she  and  Mary  go  in  and 
attend  to  their  buying  while  we  continued  our  con- 
versation and  promenade.  Co  they  went  into  the 
th<^,  and  Katy  and  I  walked  and  talked  for  fully  an 
hour. 

Just  before  we  returned  for  her  mother  and  sister, 
I  asked  her  if  she  was  fond  of  boating.  "Indeed  I  am 
not,"  she  replied,  "for  I  am  very  much  afraid  of  the 
water."  "And  how  about  driving?"  I  asked.  "Mr. 
Arling,"  she  replied,  "I  am  passionately  fond  of  driv- 
ing, for  I  love  horses;  but  I  do  not  have  much  time  to 
drive,  for  you  know  I  am  the  housekeeper  at  home  and 
that  takes  up  all  my  time."  I  told  her  I  had  a  beau- 
tiful pair  of  Canadian  ponies,  playful  as  kittens,  and 
great  travelers,  and  if  she  would  like  to  have  a  drive 
at  any  time  while  in  Toronto,  I  would  be  delighted  to 
take  her  out  and  show  her  aoms  of  Torcmto's  surround- 


THE  MAKINO  OF  A  CANiU>IAN 


ings.   "Mr.  Arling,  it  will  give  me  great  pleasure  to 
go  driving  with  you  if  mother  hat  no  objectiont." 

The  moment  we  met  her  mother  and  sister  coming 
out  of  the  shop,  she  said,  "Mother,  Mr.  Arling  tells 
me  he  has  fine  pair  of  ponies  and  wants  me  to  go  out 
driving  with  him;  when  can  I  go?"    Mrs.  White 
gave  her  permission  to  go  the  next  afternoon.   So  I 
called  for  her  the  next  afternoon  jutt  after  lunch;  the 
poniet  were  in  fine  fettk,  for  they  had  not  been  out  of 
the  stable  for  two  days  and  we  made  a  fine  appearance 
with  my  new  buggy  and  harness,  for  altogether  it  made 
an  up-to-date  and  stylish  outfit.    Katy  was  delighted, 
and  was  in  love  with  the  ponies  at  once.   During  the 
afternoon  the  confided  to  me  that  I  was  the  only 
young  man  she  had  ever  walked  with  on  the  streets 
unless  accon-oanled  by  her  mother,  or  someone  else; 
and  that  I  was  the  only  man  she  had  ever  driven  wlih 
excepting  her  father,  and  told  me  that  he  was  a  great 
bver  of  hot*^.   I  suggested  that  at  she  was  only  going 
to  be  in  the  city  for  a  few  days,  I  should  be  pleased  to 
take  her  out  driving  every  afternoon,  if  her  mother 
did  not  object. 

Mrs.  White  came  out  to  meet  us  on  our  return  and 
asked  Katy  how  she  had  enjoyed  her  drive.  "Do  you 
know,  mother,  I  never  had  as  nice  a  drive  in  all  my 
life,"  replied  Katy,  "they  travel  so  beautifully  to- 
gether. Mr.  Arling  says  that  he  goes  out  for  a  drive 
every  afternoon  and  if  you  are  agreeable,  he  will  L«. 
glad  to  take  me  with  him  for  the  few  days  I  am  here." 
Katy  was  delighted  when  her  mother  gave  her  con- 
sent, and  I  left  her  feeling  very  happy  on  promising  to 
call  for  her  the  ntxt  afternoon. 


KikTT— >AND  HSR  SBBIVE  ft 


All  the  way  home  I  was  trying  to  solve  the  prob- 
lem, how  it  was  that  such  a  perfectly  honest,  truthful, 
absolutely  tincere  young  girt  «•  I  kn*^  Kttjr  to  be, 
could  ponibly  grow  up  in  the  same  atmosphere  with 
such  proud,  haughty,  imperious  v.  >men  as  Mrs.  White 
and  her  eldest  daughter,  Mary.  But  I  was  soon 
enabled  to  account  for  the  dissimilarity.  The  follow- 
ing Sunday  I  saw  a  rather  stout  but  short  gehtleman 
sttdng  in  Mr.  Morrifon's  pew;  hit  extremely  large 
head  and  buriiy  gray  hair  first  attracted  my  attention; 
but  on  closer  examination  I  noticed  that  his  forehead 
was  very  massive,  with  large  reflectives  protruding 
from  each  side.  He  wore  a  full  beard,  had  heavy 
^ebrom  and  large  dreamy-looking  eyes,  and  die 
stooped  shoulders  of  the  student.  His  whole  facial 
expreesicm  denoted  benevdence»  sincerity  and  gen- 
erosity. 

\^en  the  service  was  over  Mr.  Morrison  beck- 
oned me  to  come  over  to  his  pew.  "Jack,**  said 
Mr.  Morrison,  "this  is  Doctor  Wliite,  Mary's  father. 
Doctor,  let  me  introduce  you  to  Jack  Arling,  Chris's 
brother."  The  doctor  -took  my  outs^  tched  hand 
in  both  of  his  and  in  a  kind  fatherly  way  said,  "My 
dear  boy,  I  am  certainly  very  glad  to  meet  you,  for  I 
have  heard  nice  things  about  you  and  hope  to  see  a 
good  deal  of  you,  now  that  Chris  and  Mary  are  to  be 
married.  I  hear  you  travel  a  great  deal  and  would  be 
delighted,  the  next  time  you  come  to  Ottawa,  to  have 
you  as  my  guest."  I  thanked  him  for  his  kind  invitarion 
and  told  him  that  I  expected  to  go  East  in  a  few  days 
and  would  be  sure  to  call  to  see  him  and  his  family. 

Shortly  after  this  conversation  I  went  to  Montreal, 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

and  on  my  way  West  from  diat  city,  I  stopped  cff  at 
Otttwa  and  put  up  at  the  Russell  House.  After 
making  a  few  business  calls,  I  drove  up  to  pay  my 
respects  to  Doctor,  Mrs.  White,  and  their  two  dau^ters. 
I  was  received  very  cordially  by  Mrs.  White  and  Mary. 
They  were  both  very  beautifully  dressed,  as  if  expectmg 
caUers.   Mrs.  White  had  been  doing  some  fancy  work 
and  Mary  was  reading  a  novel  which  she  still  held  in 
her  hand.   The  doctor  then  walked  into  the  room  and 
seemed  very  much  perturbed  when  I  said  that  I  was 
stopping  at  the  Russell  House  and  asked  me  why  1 
had  not  driven  straigjit  to  his  house  on  my  amval. 
I  repUed  that  I  had  considerable  business  to  transact 
in  Ottawa  and  thought  I  could  do  it  better  in  a  room  in 
the  hotel,  but  just  as  soon  as  I  was  through  with  the 
business,  I  would  very  gladly  accept  his  kmd  invita- 
tion and  would  come  up  and  stay  with  them  for  a  day 

We  were  having  a  nice  chat  together,  when  Katy 
walked  into  the  room.  She  wore  a  tight-fitung  tweed 
suit,  and  over  this  a  white  apron  reachmg  to  the  end  of 
her  skirt,  and  dangling  from<i  chain  attached  to  her 
belt  was  a  large  bunch  of  keys.  The  contrast  between 
the  way  she  was  dressed  and  that  of  her  fashionably 
gowned  sister  was  most  marked.  She  simply  walked 
into  the  room  and  held  out  her  hand  and  said;  How 
do  you  do,  Mr.  Arling?  I  am  certainly  very  glad  to 
see  you;  how  are  the  ponies,  and  how  is  Bhzzard,  your 
nice  dog,  getting  on?"  But  before  I  had  time  to  reply, 
Mary  said:  "Katy,  are  you  not  ashamed  to  come 
into  the  parlor  to  meet  a  gentleman  caller  dressed  as 
you  are,  and  wearing  an  apron?"   "I  cannot  see  that 


KATY  AND  HEB  SISTER  S75 


my  dress  is  very  far  out  of  the  way,"  replied  Kzty;  "1 
was  busy  when  Mr.  Arling  called,  and  could  not  come 
at  once,  for  I  was  buying  supplies  from  the  vegetable- 
man  and  had  to  complete  my  purchases,  or  you  would 
not  have  any  fresh  vegetables  for  dinner;  but  I  am 
nofw  through,  and  I  got  hold  of  a  very  nice  supply."  I 
was  much  pleased  with  the  honest  sincerity  of  Katy's 
reply,  and  could  not  help  noticing  the  look  of  affec- 
tionate admiration  bestowed  upon  her  by  her  father 
when  she  replied  to  her  sister  Mary's  criticism. 

In  a  few  moments  the  doctor,  Katy  and  I  were  in 
the  midst  of  an  animated  conversation;  Mrs.  White 
seemingly  did  not  enjoy  listening  to  our  talk,  for  it 
was  principally  on  horses  and  dogs;  for  the  doctor 
was  a  great  lover  of  horses.  "I  know  a  liveryman 
who  has  a  mighty  fine  pair  of  horses,"  said  the  doctor, 
"and  if  you  can  get  through  your  work  by  to-morrow 
morning  and  come  up  here  and  lunch  with  us,  we  will 
go  out  for  a  sleigh  drive  in  the  afternoon.  What  do 
ycu  say?"  I  told  him  I  thought  it  quite  possible  I 
would  be  through  by  that  time  and  would  be  glad  to 
go  with  him.  Katy  was  radiant  at  the  prospect  and 
promised  to  have  her  housework  finished  and  every- 
thing out  of  the  way  by  that  time.  But  Mrs.  White 
said,  "Surely,  Doctor,  you  do  not  intend  to  hire  that 
pair  uf  wild  horses  which  you  took  us  out  driving  with 
some  time  ago?"  "Certainly!"  said  the  doctor, 
"diose  horses  are  not  wild,  they  are  simply  full  of  life 
and  good  spirits;  but  if  you  and  Mary  are  afraid  to 
ride  behind  them,  I  will  take  Jack  and  Katy  along;  for 
I  want  to  let  Jack  see  that  all  the  fine  horses  are  not 
raised  in  Toronto." 


976         THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

The  next  morning  I  moved  my  baggage  up  to  the 
doctor's  house  and  after  lunch  we  started  for  as  fine 
a  drive  as  I  ever  enjoyed.  The  doctor  thoroughly 
understood  the  handling  of  horses,  the  day  was  fine, 
and  the  sleighing  good;  and  gliding  over  the  well- 
beaten  roads  behind  that  pair  of  high-steppers  was 
exhilarating  pleasure.  We  drove  for  three  hours  and 
the  doctor  brought  that  pair  of  trotters  back  to  their 
stable  as  fresh  and  vigorous  as  when  we  started  out. 
Snbsequently  the  liveryman  told  me  that  he  ^uld 
rather  intrust  his  horses  to  the  care  of  Doctor  White 
than  to  any  man  in  the  city. 

Katy  was  jubilant  over  the  beautiful  dnve  we  had 
had  and  was  bubbling  over  with  delight  all  the  evening. 
Mrs.  White  and  Mary  did  not  seem  to  enthuse  qmte  as 
much  as  Katy,  nor  did  they  sympathiM  with  her  m 
the  way  she  gave  expression  to  her  exuberant  spirits. 
But  I  noticed  that  Katy  received  all  the  sympathy 
she  required  from  her  father,  for  it  was  not  hard 
to  perceive  that  he  fairly  worshiped  her.    He  had 
taken  Katy  under  his  special  care  and  had  tought  her 
many  thiiigs;  the  knowledge  of  which  I  think  would 
have  added  to  the  charm  of  Mrs.  White  and  her 
daughter  Mary,  had  they  possessed  the  same  sincere, 
teacbaHe  spirit  that  Katy  had.    Katy  was  hke  her 
father  in  almost  every  respect:  whole-souled,  sincere, 
frank,  and  absolutely  truthful.   She  and  her  faAcr 
were  constant  companions,  devoted  to  each  other. 

The  longer  I  remainea  as  shiest  at  the  White  home, 
the  better  I  became  acquainted  with  Mrs.  White  and 
her  daughter  Mary,  and  the  more  I  saw  of  their  »m- 
ilarity  of  dispositions  and  tastet.  They  were  abso- 


KATY  AND  HER  SISTER  277 

lutely  alike  in  character,  ambition  and  desires.  Both 
of  them  proud,  haughty,  imperious,  worshipers  of 
wealth,  and  selfish.  Mary  and  Katy  were  the  only 
children  of  Doctor  and  Mrs.  White,  yet  in  disposition 
and  character  as  far  apart  as  the  poles:  one  looking 
like,  and  taking  after  the  father;  the  other,  both  in 
appearance  and  tastes,  absolutely  like  the  mother. 

I  had  intended  remaining  but  one  day  as  their 
guest,  but  at  their  earnest  solicitations  I  spent  threfe 
days  at  their  home.  They  were  all  more  than  kind  and 
did  everything  in  their  power  to  make  my  stay  a 
happy  one.  The  whole  family  accompanied  me  to  the 
railroad  station  on  the  evening  of  my  departure  for 
Toronto.  I  stood  on  the  platform  of  the  rear  coach 
and  could  see  them  waving  their  handkerchiefs  in 
farewell  until  the  train  turned  a  bend  of  the  road  and 
dacy  were  lost  to  sight. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


SHIPWRECKED  ON  LAKE  ONTARIO 

One  of  the  cities  which  ^  visited  on  my  fall  and 
winter  trip  of  the  previous  year  was  the  City  of  Kings- 
ton. And  in  accordance  with  the  dedsion  arrived 
at  between  Chris,  MacCutcheon,  and  myself— on  the 
night  of  the  party  at  Mrs.  Winters'— I  called  at  the 
O'Gorman  factory,  and  made  arrangements  with  Mr. 
O'Gorman  to  build  us  a  small  yacht,  with  a  carrying 
capacity  of  sixteen  people.  Mr.  O'Gonnan  said  he 
was  pleased  to  have  the  order,  for  he  was  very  fond  of 
Mac  as  well  as  every  member  of  his  family,  for  he  and 
the  MacCutcheons  had  been  great  friends  for  many 
years,  but  he  was  sorry  to  say  that  the  family  had  all 
passed  away,  and  all  that  was  left  of  them  now  was 
Mac  and  his  widowed  mother;  but  on  Mac's  account 
he  would  make  us  a  yacht  to  be  proud  of;  and  that  if 
I  would  allow  the  matter  of  price  to  rest,  until  the  yacht 
was  finished,  he  would  then  know  the  exact  cost,  and 
would  simply  add  a  commission  to  it,  and  would 
render  us  a  bill  which  would  be  satisfactory,  for  he 
would  not  think  of  making  a  regular  profit  out  of 
anything  Mac  was  interested  in.  So  I  gave  him  the 
order  for  the  yacht  on  these  conditions,  on  his  prom- 
ising to  have  the  yacht  ready  for  sailing  the  following 
spring.   And  now  it  was  early  spring,  being  die  middle 

278 


gHIFWBECKED  ON  lAKE  ONTARIO  279 

of  April,  and  we  and  til  our  friendt  were  anxbudy 
awaiting  its  arrival 

We  had  •ecured  a  fine  anchorage  m  one  ot  the 
small  basins  next  the  Yonge  Street  wharf,  and  any 
fine  afternoon  you  could  see  Chris,  Mac,  myself,  and 
frequently  many  of  our  friends,  both  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen, at  the  front  end  of  the  wharf,  and  lookmg 
towards  the  lower  gap-at  the  eastern  end  of  the  island 
-straining  our  eyes  trying  to  make  out  a  new  yacht 
coming  through  from  Lake  Ontario,  and  heading  for 
the  Yonge  Street  wharf,  and  although  she  did  not 
turn  up  until  the  middle  of  May,  we  were  on  hand  to 
greet  her.   She  certainly  made  a  pretty  picture  saihng 
across  the  bay,  with  a  full  complement  of  sails  all  set 
and  drawing;  her  polished  white  hull  with  a  broad 
green  stripe  like  a  beautiful  satin  ribbon,  and  painted 
just  below  the  tafFrail  helped  to  show  off  her  sym- 
metrical lines,  every  part  of  her  huU  bnghtly  pol- 
ished, so  that  she  fairly  glistened  in  the  sun  as  she 
drew  near  to  the  wharf. 

Mr.  O'Gorman  had  fairly  excelled  himself  in  select- 
ing her  fittings;  she  was  carpeted  witii  a  deep,  nch 
crimson  shade  of  velvet  matting  from  stem  to  stem, 
and  the  seats  were  suppUed  with  damask  cushions  of 

the  same  shade. 

She  had  a  Union  Jack  flying  from  the  masthead, 
as  well  as  a  long  streamer.  We  were  all  greatly  pleased 
with  her  and  pronounced  her  to  be  the  most  graceful 
and  the  most  up-to-date  yacht  which  had  entered  the 
Toronto  harbor  Aat  spring.  The  crew  which  sailed 
her  up  from  Kingston  ran  her  into  her  berth,  furled  her 
sails  and  made  her  all  snug  for  the  night.  The  next 


fSO        THE  1IAKIN6  Of  k  CANADUN 

afternoon  being  fine,  a  few  of  i»,  inchuKng  Chm,  Mac, 
Chariey  Kurd  and  myself  with  tome  other  fellows 
•trolled  down  to  the  basin  to  have  another  look  at  her. 
Among  the  crowd  looking  on  was  a  big  burly,  ough- 
looking  fellow,  named  Wilson,-he  was  a  hotel  porter, 
and  professed  to  be  a  great  yachtsman  and  said  that  he 
had  been  a  sailor  for  some  years  in  the  Amencan  Navy. 
Some  of  the  boys  suggested  that  we  should  go  out  for  a 
sail,  but  as  we  were  all  oarsmen,  and  not  one  of  us 
able  to  manage  a  yacht,  decided  to  hire  Wi  son  and 
have  him  take  charge,  and  give  us  our  first  lesson  m 
sailing.  The  yacht  had  only  two  sails,  the  mamsail 
and  the  jib,  and  of  course  only  had  one  mast;  she  had 
no  keel,  but  had  a  deep  mettl  centerboard. 

So  Wilson  and  some  others  got  on  board— there 
was  just  ten  of  us  in  all;  we  helped  Wilson  run  up  the 
sails  and  we  slowly  glided  out  into  the  bay.  Iht 
wind  was  very  light  and  only  came  m  occasional  pulFs. 
Wilson  had  the  tiller  and  headed  her  for  the  upper  gap, 
but  sailed  very  slowly,  for  there  was  hardly  enough 
wind  to  fill  the  sails,  so  it  took  us  qmte  a  while  to 
sail  round  the  bay  and  get  back  to  our  starting  point. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  wharf  all  jumped  out  of  the 
boat  with  the  exception  of  Wilson,  Mac  and  myself. 

Mac  was  so  infatuated  with  the  first  sail  he  insisted 
we  make  the  circuit  of  the  bay  once  more,  but  Chns  and 
the  other  fellows  said  they  could  not  go,  as  they  all  had 
engagements  for  the  evening.  Chris  said  it  was  getting 
dark  anyway  and  urged  Mac  and  I  not  to  go  out  agam 
but  to  wait  until  the  days  were  bnger  and  the  atmos- 
phere warmer.  There  was  still  quite  a  lot  of  ice  float- 
ing about  the  bay,  which  made  the  air  quite  cool,  but 


SHIPWRECKED  ON  LAKE  ONTARIO  281 


as  Mac  still  persisted,  I  agreed  to  fo  out  agun  (oi  one 

very  short  sail.  The  boys  waved  us  an  adieu  as  Mac 
and  I  with  Wilson  at  the  tiller  started  westward  for  an- 
other sail.  Chris  seemed  quite  perplexed,  and  stood 
on  die  dock  f(M' some  time  watching  us,  and  as  we  began 
to  move  out  into  the  bay  he  shouted  to  us  to  be  very 
careful  and  not  to  stay  out  long  as  it  was  getting  dark. 
The  wind  had  freshened  up  in  the  meantime  and  we 
sailed  round  the  bay  in  fine  style  but  the  longer  we 
sailed  the  more  Mac  became  infatuated  with  the  sport 
and  refused  to  have  the  yacht  run  into  the  basin. 

So  Wilson  headed  her  again  for  the  west  to  make 
another  circuit  of  the  bay.  The  wind  was  now  coming 
down  in  sharp  gusts,  black  clouds  were  gathering  in 
die  western  sky,  and  we  could  hear  the  distant  rum- 
bling of  thunder;  by  this  time  the  yacht  was  leaning 
over  on  her  side  and  cutting  her  way  through  the 
water  in  fine  style.  Mac  was  simply  jubilant,  and  sug- 
gested that  we  should  run  through  the  upper  gap  out 
into  the  lake,  and  sail  round  the  island.  But  we  had 
no  sooner  entered  the  waters  of  the  lake  than  we  ran 
intc  a  heavy  swell,  and  the  yacht  began  to  pitch  and 
plunge  down  into  the  trough  of  the  heavy  sea  with  each 
succeeding  wave,  but  being  so  light  the  waves  would 
lift  her  up  like  a  cockleshell  to  the  top  of  the  next 
wave,  ix^ich  were  getting  larger  and  more  threatening 
all  the  dme. 

Mac  thought  this  great  fun,  not  perceiving  the 
danger — but  I  did — and  also  noticed  that  the  storm 
was  increasing  in  severity  every  moment.  It  was  now 
getting  very  dark,  and  the  thunder  seemed  to  break 
light  over  our  heads.    The  lake  was  brighdy  illu- 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


minated  by  tfait  time  with  almost  continuous  flashes  of 
lightning.  I  never  saw  such  vivid  lightning  in  all  my 

experience. 

Mac  now  began  to  realize  for  the  first  time  that  we 
were  in  a  dangerous  situation,  and  became  quite  ner- 
vous. I  told  him  to  keep  up  his  spirits,  that  we  would 
soon  reach  the  lower  gap  and  run  into  qiueter  waters 

in  the  bay;  but  this  did  not  altogether  assure  him,  for 
I  could  notice  a  look  of  terror  on  his  face,  when  he 
thought  I  did  not  observe  him.  The  situation  now 
began  to  be  most  alarming,  for  I  could  see  a  great 
black  mass  of  cloud  moving  steadily  towards  us,  looking 
like  an  enormous  mountain  and  traveling  with  lightning 
speed  in  our  direction,  blotting  out  everything  with  its 
inky  blackness,  and  covering  the  whole  of  the  western 
heavens,  stretching  out  like  a  great  octopus,  taking 
into  its  greedy  maw  the  ¥diole  of  the  waters  of  the  lake 
in  its  advance,  and  rushing  towards  us  in  a  seething 
mass  of  white,  hissing  foam.   As  we  were  only  abcut  :\ 
half  to  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  island,  I 
thought  it  time  to  turn  and  make  for  the  lower  gap 
before  it  was  too  late,  and  try  and  get  into  the  quieter 
waters  of  the  bay.   Mac's  terror-stricken  face  told 
me  that  he  now  fully  realized  our  danger;  and  we  both 
yelled  to  Wilson  not  to  attempt  going  any  further  into 
the  lake,  but  to  turn  at  once  and  make  for  the  lov^  r 
gap. 

1  was  tremendously  afraid,  for  I  knew  that  Mac 
could  not  swim;  although  I  was  a  powerful  swimmer 
myself  and  could  easily  have  swam  to  the  island,  but 
the  thought  flashed  through  my  mind  that  we  were 
soon  going  to  capsize,  and  if  we  did,  how  could  we 


gmPWBBCKED  ON  LAKE  ONTARIO  tM 


save  Mac?   So  I  yelled  again  to  Wilson  to  turn  about 
and  make  for  the  lower  gap;  but  I  found  that  was  more 
easily  said  than  done,  for  Wilson  had  tied  the  mainsail 
down  tight,  and  the  wind  was  to  fierce  that  the  sail 
was  bellied  out  to  the  bursting  point,  and  instead  of 
cutting  the  rope — as  he  should  have  done — he  tried 
to  bring  her  about  as  she  was,  by  pressing  hard  down 
on  the  tiller;  and  just  then  the  squall  burst  right  over 
our  heads  and  in  a  moment  the  yacht  capsized.  I 
had  just  rime  to  jump  into  the  heavy  sea,  and  save 
myself  from  being  smothered  under  the  yacht — which 
was  now  upside  down,  and  lying  deep  in  the  water,  for 
the  great  weight  of  canvas  held  her  down,  and  as  she 
had  no  keel,  diere  was  nothing  but  the  bottom  of  the 
yacht  showing  above  the  water.   It  had  turned  pitch 
dark;  but  I  was  enabled  to  see  occasionally  by  the  aid 
of  the  conrinuous  flashes  of  lightning.    On  coming  to 
the  surface,  my  fir?    thought  was  for  Mac.    I  was 
swimming  close  to  the  upturned  yacht,  straining  my 
eyes  trying  to  find  him.   At  last  I  caught  a  glimpse  of 
his  bands  above  the  water  endeavoring  to  clutch  at 
lome  imaginary  object.    I  at  once  seized  him  by  the 
collar  of  his  coat,  and  clambering  up  onto  the  bottom  of 
the  boat  I  pulled  him  up  after  me — but  found  him 
unconscious.  I  rolled  him  face  downwards  on  the 
flat  bottom  of  the  boat  and  managed  to  make  him 
discharge  the  water  he  had  swallowed,  which  was 
choking  him.   He  gradually  came  round,  but  was 
bleeding  very  badly  from  a  bad  wound  he  had  received 
on  the  side  of  his  head  by  being  struck  by  the  iron 
centerboard  when  he  was  carried  under  the  yacht  when 
she  capsized.  Subsequently,  added  to  the  pain  and 


fM 


TEE  WJOSG  OF  A  CANADIAN 


lo»  of  blood,  the  honor  of  die  ntuttioii  dawned  on 
him,  and  it  completely  upset  his  reason.   For  he  no 
sooner  recovered  consciousness — and  discovered  the 
plight  we  were  in— than  he  began  to  scream;  not  with 
the  hoarse  notes  a  man  shouting  for  help,  but  with 
the  shrill,  piercing  shriek  ofa  woman  in  despair.  When 
at  last  I  got  him  quieted  down,  I  told  him  that  if  he 
would  try  and  control  himself  I  would  swim  to  the 
island— only  a  half  mile  away— and  secure  a  boat  and 
come  back  for  him.    He  seemed  to  agree  to  this  prop- 
osition at  once;  so  I  divested  myself  of  all  my  clodiing, 
with  the  exception  of  underwear,  trouaert  and  one 
shoe,  w.'Mch  I  could  not  get  ofF,  and  then  jumped  into 
the  water,  JUt  the  moment  he  saw  me  in  the  watei>— 
I  presume  in  his  weakened  condition  he  thought  I 
was  going  to  desert  him — for  almost  die  nKMnent  I 
touched  the  water,  he  jumped  in  after  me  landing  right 
on  my  back,  and  clasped  me  round  the  neck  with  both 
of  his  arms,  and  twisted  his  legs  round  my  body,  leav- 
ing me  quite  helpless.   Of  course  we  both  sank  at 
once,  but  on  coming  to  the  surface  after  quite  a  strug- 
gle, I  had  sufficient  presence  of  mind  left  to  take  in  all 
the  air  I  could  hold  in  my  lungs,  and  then  allowing 
myself  to  sink,  he  suU  clinging  to  my  back  clasping  me 
round  the  neck  and  body  with  his  arms  and  legs. 

We  sank  to  a  good  depth,  when  gradually  his  hold 
on  me  relaxed,  and  I  came  to  the  surface — and  just  in 
time— for  a  very  few  moments  more  would  have  fin- 
ished me.  I  was  almost  suffocated,  but  gradually 
pulled  myself  together,  and  found  the  poor  fellow 
floating  face  downwards,  and  again  pulled  him  on  the 
bottom  of  the  upturned  yacht  more  dead  than  alive. 


SHIPWRECKED  ON  LAKE  ONTARIO  t8S 


where  he  regained  contdoutnets  again  after  lonie  time. 
Our  situation  was  now  desperate,  for  the  water  was  icy 
cold,  as  big  blocks  of  ice  were  floating  all  round  us,  and 
I  was  chilled  to  the  bone.  Wilson  was  hanging  on  to 
die  stem  of  the  yacht  seemingly  all  right,  and  I  begged 
him  to  come  and  help  me  with  Mac;  but  instead  of 
doing  so  he  pulled  a  big  clasp  knife  out  of  his  belt,  and 
with  an  oath  declared  that  if  either  of  us  came  near 
his  end  of  the  boat,  he  would  kill  us.  I  saw  at  once 
there  was  no  use  in  looking  to  him  for  help,  and 
therefore  directed  all  my  attention  towards  helping 
Mac  myself. 

All  this  occurred  in  a  very  short  time,  and  the  storm 
was  raging  more  furiously  than  ever;  but  I  could  still 
at  times  see  the  twinkling  lights  on  the  island,  and  oh 
how  I  did  hope  and  pray  that  aomething  or  some  one 
would  tell  the  people — who  were  living  so  safely  and 
comfortably  in  their  homes — of  our  desperate  condi- 
tion! But  I  also  noted  that  the  lights  were  growing 
more  dim  all  the  time,  showing  we  were  drifting  further 
away  from  the  shore,  and  that  the  chances  for  rescue 
were  growing  smaller  every  moment. 

The  further  we  drifted  away  from  the  land  the 
higher  the  waves  became,  as  the  yacht  was  still  weighted 
down  with  the  sails,  which  still  clung  to  her  submerged 
masts,  instead  of  rising  with  the  waves,  the  waves 
would  pass  right  over  her,  and  at  last  began  to  wadi 
us  cff;  this  occurred  several  times  but  each  time  I 
managed  to  get  Mac  back  onto  the  bottom  of  the  boat. 

But  what  I  dreaded  most  of  all  was  surely  taking 
place — I  was  gradually  getdng  the  cramps — and  just 
as  I  was  pulling  Mac  up  (mto  die  bottom    the  yacht— 


S86 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


and  for  the  last  time— a  most  terrific  pain  seized  me  in 
the  right  leg,  my  knee  was  drawn  up,  so  that  it  almost 
reached  my  chest,  and  the  foot  was  turned  and  twisted 
almost  round— the  pain  was  most  severe— I  shouted 
into  Mac's  ear  as  loud  as  I  could:  "Mac!  you  will 
have  to  arouse  yourself  out  of  this  stupor  (for  we  had 
not  spoken  for  some  time)  that  seems  to  have  taken 
possession  cf  you,  and  try  and  help  yourself  more  than 
you  have,  for  I  cannot  swim  very  much  longer,  for  the 
cramps  have  got  me  in  the  right  leg !    Do  you  hear  me ? " 
I  shouted,  "  so  hold  on  for  all  you  are  worth,  but  if  you 
find  that  you  can't,  and  see  a  big  wave  coming  down  on 
us,  wait  until  it  is  almost  on  top  of  us,  then  jump  right 
into  it!    Do  you  understand?  for  it  is  our  only  salva- 
tion."   He  did  not  speak,  but  nodded  his  head— as 
if  he  understood— again  I  shouted; "  if  you  do  this  you 
will  come  up  right  near  the  boat!"   Very  soon  I  saw 
a  big  wave  making  straight  fo-  us.    I  immediately 
got  up  on  my  knees  and  pulled  Mac  up  into  the  same 
position  and  yelled:  "Now,  Mac,  watch  out,  and  the 
moment  I  give  the  word,  jump!   Do  this  or  we  are 
lost!"   In  a  listless  sort  of  a  way  he  nodded  his  head. 
The  wave  was  rushing  down  onto  us  like  a  great 
avalanche,  and  just  as  soon  as  I  saw  it  towering  right 
over  our  heads  I  caught  him  by  the  collar  of  his 
coat  and  yelled:  "Jump,  Mac,  jump  for  your  life!" 
and  with  that  I  jumped  and  tried  to  push  him  ahead  of 
me  into  it— but  he  pulled  back— and  as  I  could  not 
stay  the  impetus  I  had  given  myself  I  dived  headlong 
into  the  wave.    I  soon  came  to  the  surface,  but  could 
hardly  swim,  as  the  cramps  had  attacked  the  other  leg, 
and  only  had  my  arms  to  make  headway  in  the  water; 


SHIPWRECKED  ON  LAKE  ONTARIO  287 


fortunately  I  came  up  close  to  the  wreck  which  I 
grabbed,  and  held  on  with  the  clutch  of  a  drowning 
man. 

As  soon  ?  ;  i  goi  a  tirn^  grip  on  the  boat,  there  was  a 
great  roar  a:id  crash  of  thunder  accompanied  by  the 
most  startlii  g  display  o'"  vivid  forked  lightning  I  had 
ever  witnessed,  iiluiiii;^-ating  the  waters  of  the  angry 
sea,  which  looked  more  like  a  caldron  of  seething  foam 
or  a  wild  northern  blizzard,  with  blinding  clouds  of 
snow  and  ice,  than  like  anything  else  I  had  ever  seen. 
But  above  the  roar  of  the  diunder  and  the  noise  of  the 
storm  I  heard  one  piercing  shriek  and  by  the  aid  of 
the  lightning  I  saw  the  head  and  shoulders  and  the 
upraised  hands  of  my  poor  dear  friend  Mac  hurled 
along  with  lightning  speed  on  the  crest  of  that  dreadful 
wave  which  engulfed  him  in  its  pitiless  maw  and 
buried  him  under  the  deep  waters  of  Lake  Ontario — 
and  I  saw  him  no  more.  For  the  moment  the  dreadful 
tragedy  I  had  witnessed  seemed  to  deprive  me  of  the 
little  remaining  strength  I  had  left  and  I  almost  re- 
solved to  give  up  the  struggle,  as  further  effort  would 
be  futile,  and  only  prolong  the  agony  of  existence.  I 
was  in  the  water,  and  only  my  head  and  arms  were 
exposed.    My  right  arm  was  thrown  over  the  sharp 
keel  of  the  boat's  prow;  I  held  on  there  foi  ;iome  time, 
then  the  thought  came  into  my  mind  that  if  I  could 
only  secure  a  rope  I  could  tie  myself  on  to  the  iron  ring 
which  was  fastened  to  the  prow,  and  used  to  make  her 
fast  to  her  moorings;  and  then  at  least  my  body  would 
be  found  and  give  some  little  comfort  to  my  friends. 
Then  I  remembered  that  there  was  an  open  locker 
right  up  in  the  bow  of  the  yacht  containing  a  small  coil 


S88 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


of  light  rope—and  I  decided  to  secure  it— the  very 
thought  of  doing  something  seemed  to  give  me  a  fresh 
supply  of  strength,  and  without  hesitating  for  a  mo- 
ment, I  dived  right  under  the  bow  of  the  yacht  anc 
secured  the  rope,  but  came  to  the  surface  in  a  very 
exhausted  condition.  But  thinking  I  had  not  long  to 
live  I  twined  the  rope  round  my  body  with  the  most 
feverish  haste,  and  then  lashed  myself  to  the  iron  ring 
in  the  prow  of  the  yacht  so  rightly  that  there  was  but 
little  chance  of  my  being  separated  from  it. 

Gradually  the  pains  caused  by  the  cramps  ceased 
as  quickly  as  they  came  on;  I  also  felt  warmer  in  the 
water  than  when  exposed  to  the  air,  but  realized  that 
I  was  being  pretty  badly  pounded  by  the  boat  striking 
me  every  rime  the  waves  passed  over  her;  for  my  body 
being  lighter  would  always  reach  the  surface  first, 
then  the  sharp  prow  of  the  boat— as  it  emerged— 
would  strike  me  in  the  breast,  the  shoulders,  and  some- 
rimes  the  head,  and  this  occurred  so  often  I  was  pretty 
badly  cut  up  and  bruised;  but  all  this  caused  me  no 
pain,  for  I  was  lost  to  all  sense  of  feeling.   The  fact  is 
I  was  in  a  partial  state  of  stupor  (brought  on  by 
exhaustion),  and  intense  pain,  and  had  I  not  succeeded 
in  lashing  myself  to  the  yacht,  I  would  have  been 
poweriess  to  have  exerted  myself  any  further,  and 
would  have  been  lost. 

I  had  a  remarkable  experience  at  this  time;  for  a 
while  I  was  lost  to  all  sense  of  my  surroundings,  and 
my  brain  was  in  a  whiri,  conjuring  up  all  kinds  of 
strange  fancies,  my  past  life  passed  before  me  in  pano- 
ramic precision,  experiences  long  forgotten  were  brought 
vividly  to  my  mind  in  their  minutest  details. 


SmPWRECEED  ON  LAKE  ONTARIO  «80 


One  in  particular  which  I  have  never  forgotten, 
that  I  was  again  a  small  boy  in  the  old  home  in  Mon- 
treal; the  family  were  engaged  at  evening  worship; 
I  could  plai  'y  see  father,  mother,  Chris  and  my 
sisters  in  the  places  they  usually  occupied  in  the  family 
living-room;  father  was  kneeling  in  front  of  his  big 
arm-chair,  and  I  was  kneeling  beside  him,  with  his  arm 
round  my  neck,  as  he  offered  up  the  evening  prayer. 

This  scene  was  followed  by  experiences  at  the  dif- 
ferent schools  I  had  attended.  The  big  blizzard — in 
which  I  had  nearly  lost  my  life — the  snow-shoe  race  in 
which  Chris  won  the  prize.  Hunting  and  fishing 
ocpedirions  in  which  I  had  taken  part.  Then  I  saw  in 
imagination  Miss  Almy  introducing  me  to  her  father 
at  Boston — and  the  many  sights  I  enjoyed  on  my  visit 
to  that  city.  I  mingled  again  with  all  my  friends  at 
Toronto,  visited  at  their  h  ^.nes,  traveled  all  over  Canada 
passing  through  the  same  experiences  which  had  made 
up  my  '*fe  for  the  past  few  years,  but  I  was  awakened 
from  my  dream  or  reverie  very  suddenly,  for  I  heard 
a  man  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice  "Help!  help!" 
and  looking  up  I  saw  the  white  side  of  a  large  lake 
steamer  passing  us,  and  so  close  she  almost  ran  us 
down. 

Wilson,  for  it  was  he  that  was  shouting,  and  at 
the  same  time  trying  to  L..lance  himself  standing  in  an 
upright  position  on  the  bottom  of  the  upturned  yacht; 
he  was  waving  his  arms  in  a  most  frantic  manner,  and 
yelling  tike  a  maniac  tt3dng  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  people  on  the  steamer.  But  all  this  commotion 
produced  no  effect  on  me;  I  could  see  and  hear  every- 
thing that  was  goi  ig  on,  but  could  not  utter  a  sound,  and 


MO        THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

did  not  try  to,  for  I  was  perfectly  indifferent.   I  knew 
that  Wilson  was  shouting  for  help,  but  I  was  quite  un- 
concerned, and  did  not  care  whether  the  help  came  or 
not.    But  in  a  few  moments  one  of  the  steamer's 
boats,  with  the  captain  and  four  men  on  board,  drew 
up  alongside  of  our  upturned  yacht.   The  very  mo- 
ment the  lifeboat  came  alongside  of  us,  Wilson  jumped 
into  her  and  sat  down  on  one  of  the  seats.    I  saw  all 
this  seemingly  as  a  disinterested  spectator.   I  had  not 
the  slightest  feeling  of  any  kind  in  my  body.    I  could 
see  and  hear  everything  which  transpired  but  did  not 
have  the  power  to  utter  a  sound.  At  last  the  captain 
spoke  up  and  said  to  Wilson,  "Are  you  all  alone?  is 
there  no  one  else  here  but  yourself?"    "  There  is  an- 
other man,"  said  Wilson,  "  tied  onto  the  prow  of  the 
yacht, but  he  has  been  dead  for  several  hours."  "Weill " 
said  the  captain,  "  we  can  take  his  body  on  board  any- 
way, for  his  relations  will  be  glad  to  have  that." 
Hiou^  I  heard  every  word  of  the  conversation  it  did  not 
interest  me  in  the  least,  and  was  quite  indifferent  as  to 
whether  they  took  my  body  on  board  or  not.    I  cannot 
describe  my  feelings,  if  I  had  any,  by  any  other  term 
than  indifference. 

"What  time  did  your  yacht  capsize?"  asked  the 
captain.  Wilson  said  that  the  squall  struck  us  about 
seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  immediately  we 
capsized.  "Why,  man  alive  I"  said  the  captain,  "it 
is  now  two  o'clock  m  the  morning!  Yoii  have  been  in 
the  water  seven  hours!"  So  I  must  have  been  in  that 
semiconscious  state  for  at  least  five  or  six  hours. 
They  then  shoved  their  boat  along  the  side  of  our 
yacht,  until  they  came  to  the  place  where  I  was  tied 


SHIPWBEC£ED  ON  LA£E  ONTARIO  291 


to  the  prow.  The  captain  took  his  clasp  knife  and  cut 
the  lashings,  lifted  me  out  of  the  water,  and  laid  me 
down  very  gently  on  the  bottom  of  his  boat,  and  threw 
a  tarpaulin  ever  me,  of  course  thinking  I  was  dead. 
"Poor  lad!**  he  said,  "  his  sailing  days  are  over,  that  is 
one  thing  sure." 

My  legs  were  drawn  up  and  bent  so  that  my  knees 
almost  touched  my  neck,  my  left  arm  was  twisted 
behind  my  back,  the  right  arm  remained  in  the  same 
position  in  which  they  found  me,  raised  and  bent  over 
the  prow  of  the  yacht,  keeping  my  head  out  of  the 
water;  my  whole  body  was  perfectly  rigid,  my  teeth 
clenched  tight  and  my  eyes  fixed  and  staring. 

When  the  lifeboat  reached  the  steamer  they  hauled 
her  up  to  the  davits  by  block  and  tackle;  the  men 
lifted  me  out  of  the  boat  just  as  carefully  and  gently 
as  the;'  raised  me  from  the  water,  then  two  of  the 
ship's  crew  carried  me  to  the  center  of  the  upper  deck 
and  laid  me  down  under  a  canvas  awning,  covering 
me  with  a  tarpaulin,  and  left  me.  I  saw  it  all  and 
realized  what  they  were  doing  but  was  perfectly  satis- 
fied and  absolutely  indifferent;  and  even  if  I  could, 
would  have  made  no  protest  had  they  thrown  me 
overboard  into  the  lake.  I  heard  the  captain  and  the 
men  talking  all  round  me,  but  their  conversation  did 
not  interest  me  in  the  least.  I  also  heard  them  cross- 
questioning  Wilson,  and  his  perfect  indifference  to 
poor  Mac's  fate,  and  my  deplorable  condition  did  not 
excite  my  indignation  m  the  least.  '^^Ison  was  a 
large,  heavily  built,  burly  man;  very  strong  and 
inured  to  hardships  of  all  kinds,  and  although  he 
had  passed  through  this  terrible  ordeal  and  immersed 


TBE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


in  the  icy  waters  of  the  lake  for  seven  hours,  it  had  not 
affected  him  beyond  giving  him  a  bad  chill.  The 
captain  had  given  hir.  some  dry  clothes  and  allowed 
him  to  sit  beside  the  boiler  in  the  engine  room,  where 
he  had  gotten  thoroughly  warmed  up;  added  to  this 
they  had  given  him  two  or  three  glasses  of  hot  whiskey, 
and  as  he  said  himself,  "he  did  not  feel  much  the 
worse  for  the  wear."   Of  course  he  had  had  no  one  to 
look  after  but  himself;   whereas  the  efforts  I  had  put 
forth  to  save  poor  Mac  had  completely  used  me  up. 
Mac  was  a  much  larger  man  than  I  was,  almost  six 
feet  high,  strong  and  heavily  built,  and  the  exertion 
was  too  much  for  me,  for  after  keeping  him  up  for 
over  an  hour  and  then  witnessing  his  tragic  death 
almost  finished  me,  and  I  certainly  would  have  died 
in  a  very  short  time  had  I  not  been  roused  from  the 
great  stupor  I  had  fallen  into  by  the  dioutf  and  yells 
of  Wilson  for  help. 

I  had  been  lying  on  the  deck  for  some  time,  where 
they  had  placed  me  under  the  tarpaulin,  when  I  heard 
the  voice  of  a  woman  saying,  "  John!  where  is  the  body 
of  the  young  man  you  took  out  of  the  water?  I  want 
to  see  it."   "Why,  Maiyl"  the  captain  said  (for  she 
was  his  wife),  "surely  you  do  not  want  to  look  at  it, 
the  body  of  a  drowned  man  is  not  a  pleasant  thing  to 
look  at!"   "Yes!"  she  said,  "I  think  I  want  to  see  it." 
So  he  brought  her  over  to  where  they  had  placed  mc  and 
lifted  off  the  tarpaulin  and  went  away.   She  knelt 
down  beside  me  and  smoothed  back  the  hair  from  my 
forehead,  and  leaning  over  me  looked  straight  into 
my  eyes,  and  I  was  looking  straight  into  her  face  at 
the  same  time. 


SHIPWRECKED  ON  LAKE  ONTARIO  89S 


As  she  stroked  my  face  and  forehead  with  her 
hand,  in  a  crooning,  sympathetic  voice  she  said:  "Poor 
boy,  poor  boy!  some  weeping  mother  will  be  breaking 
her  heart  when  she  hears  about  you." 

She  had  a  small  bull's-eye  lantern  with  her,  and  kept 
it  shining  in  my  face  all  the  time  she  was  bending  over 
me  (she  was  a  nice  motherly  looking  woman  of  middle 
age  and  possessed  a  very  kindly  face).  I  could  see  the 
tnirs  in  her  eyes  all  the  time  she  talked  and  crooned 
over  me  with  so  much  sympathy.  I  tried  very  hard 
to  talk  to  her  and  thank  her  for  her  sympathy  and 
kindness,  but  I  could  not  move  a  muscle,  either  of  my 
face  or  body,  nor  utter  a  single  word.  As  she  held 
the  lantern  close  to  my  face,  all  at  once  I  saw  a  strange 
repression  come  over  her  countenance,  as  she  looked 
at  the  glass  in  the  front  end  of  the  lantern,  for  she  had 
discovered  a  little  moisture  on  it,  as  if  from  my  breath, 
and  immediately  without  waiting  to  unbutton  the 
neck  band  of  my  shirt  she  tore  it  apart  with  her  hands 
and  bared  my  chest  and  nde  right  to  the  waist,  and 
bending  down  placed  her  ear  right  over  my  heart,  and 
of  course  discovered  that  my  heart  was  beating.  She 
jumped  up  in  a  greatly  excited  state  and  cried  out, 
"John!  John!  come  quickly,  this  boy  is  alive!"  The 
captain  and  some  of  the  sailors  came  running  to  her 
help  in  a  moment  and  lifted  me  up  from  the  deck  and 
carried  me  into  the  cabin  and  placing  a  mattress  on 
the  table  laid  me  down  on  it  and  stripped  me  at  once, 
but  just  as  soon  as  they  began  rubbing  and  trying  to 
rrausdtate  me,  and  the  very  moment  I  bc^an  to 
feel  the  blood  in  my  body  b^inning  to  circulate,  I 
lost  consciousness.  I  have  no  recollection  of  any- 


S04 


TBE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


thing  which  happened  from  the  time  they  laid  me  on 
the  dining  table  in  the  saloon  of  the  propeller,  until  I 
opened  my  eyes  and  found  that  it  was  broad  daylight. 
I  was  tingling  with  itching  pains  from  head  to  foot,  and 
noticed  that  my  arms  and  body  were  all  spotted  over 
with  blood,  and  subsequently  was  told  that  the  rub- 
bing had  continued  for  several  hours,  until  they  suc- 
ceeded in  relaxing  my  body  and  limbs  from  the  rigid 
condition  they  had  gotten  into  from  my  long  immersion 
in  the  icy  waters  of  the  lake. 

The  captain  (as  soon  as  he  discoverea  that  I  was 
still  alive)  had  forced  his  steamer  ahead  under  a  full 
head  of  steam  to  get  her  into  her  berth  at  the  Yonge 
Street  wharf  as  quickly  as  possible,  so  that  medical 
assistance  might  be  secured  without  delay,  and  the  first 
person  my  eyes  rested  on,  as  soon  as  I  had  regained 
consciousness,  was  my  friend  Doctor  Barnard,  bendmg 
over  me  in  a  most  solicitous  manner,  and  seeing  that  I 
had  regained  consciousness,  asked  me  if  I  could  open 
my  mouth  and  try  and  swallow  a  little  brandy.  I  tried, 
but  failed,  for  my  jaws  were  closed  tight,  so  he  took  a 
piece  of  pine  wood  and  inserted  it  betweon  my  jaws,  as 
gently  as  possible  prying  them  apart,  and  poured  two 
or  three  teaspoonfuls  of  brandy  down  my  throat,  and 
asked  me  if  it  warmed  up  in  my  throat  and  stomach. 
Although  I  had  never  tasted  brandy,  I  felt  it  no  more 
than  if  it  had  been  so  much  water.   I  was  just  able  to 
shake  my  head  in  answer  to  his  question,  and  as  a 
last  resort  he  and  Doctor  Newman  poured  almost 
the  whole  of  the  contents  of  a  bottle  of  Radway's 
cayenne  mixture  down  my  throat,  but  a  litde  at  a 
time,  until  I  had  taken  nearly  all  of  it.   I  could 


SHIPWRECKED  ON  LAKE  ONTARIO  895 


just  feel  it,  and  no  more,  warming  me  up  a  little.  I 
was  just  lapsing  into  unconsciousness  again  when  my 
eyes  wandered  over  the  crowd  which  had  gathered  in 
^e  raloon  <^  the  steamer.  I  was  trying  to  see  if  Qiris 
was  there,  and  he  was,  and  had  been  there  all  the  time. 
He  caught  my  eye  and  recognized  my  wish  to  have  him 
near  me,  and  he  came  over  at  once  and  sat  down  be- 
side me.  I  just  had  time  to  notice  that  his  face  was 
very  white,  and  that  he  looked  badly  worn  out  when  I 
again  became  unconscious. 

Word  had  been  sent  to  him  the  night  previous  that 
the  yacht  had  not  returned.  He  immediately  dis- 
patched messengers  to  all  our  companions  to  come  down 
to  the  bay  at  once,  so  that  he  and  Charley  Hurd  had 
been  up  all  night,  with  scores  of  other  young  men. 
They  divided  themselves  up  into  searching  parties,  and 
scoured  the  bay  front  from  end  to  end,  as  far  west  as 
the  Humber,  and  east  as  far  as  the  Don.  Six  of  the 
most  venturesome  procured  a  large  lifeboat,  and  rowed 
over  to  the  island,  examining  the  whole  of  the  bay 
shore  as  well  as  the  lake  front.  Also  a  large  detail  of 
police  had  been  sent  down  to  help  in  the  search. 

At  last  t^eir  efforts  were  rewarded  by  seeing  a  big 
lake  propeller  coming  through  the  lower  gap,  steaming 
towards  the  Yonge  Street  wharf,  steaming  very  fast 
with  all  lights  burning;  it  was  now  between  three  and 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  My  friends  had  been 
working  hard  for  five  or  six  hours,  and  were  tired  and 
worn  out  with  their  fruitless  search,  but  now  their 
hopes  began  to  revive,  feeling  certain  that  the  captain 
had  something  important  to  communicate,  and  ptr- 
h^pi  had  reKued  us. 


gge        THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

A  thort  tune  previous  to  this  Chris  had  dispatched 
three  messengers  to  three  different  doctors  to  come 
down  to  the  dock  immediately,  and  they  aU  three 
arrived  just  as  the  propeller  was  tying  up  tor  the 

airis  and  the  doctors  were  the  first  to  board  the 
steamer,  and  they  had  been  working  over  me  from  the 
rime  she  arrived  at  the  dock  until  I  had  regamed  con- 

sciousness.  .    .    *         t      t  -j 

Chris,  in  response  to  my  look  of  appeal,  as  I  said 
previously,  came  to  my  side  and  took  my  hand  in  both 
of  hU  (he  was  crying  like  a  child),  and  stooped  down  and 
kissed  me,  and  saying  between  his  sobs,    My  poor 
dear  Tack!  I  was  so  afraid  last  night  that  something 
was  going  to  happen,  and  I  really  did  not  want  Xou  to 
eo"    -  was  pathetic  in  the  extreme  to  watch  his 
Lotio,.,  it  broke  down  aU  tiie  bounds  of  reserve,  and 
forgetting  his  surroundings,  he  bared  his  heart  and 
gave  free  rein  to  his  feelings,  for  our  love  for  each  other 
was  like  that  of  David  and  Jonathan.  I  could  see  it  aU, 
and  hear   every  word  that  he  uttered,  and  my  heart 
went  ov  -  to  him  and  responded  to  every  term  of  en- 
dearment which  feU  from  his  Hps,  as  he  told  me  of  his 

great  love  for  me.  u  t  ^ 

But  not  a  tear  fell  from  my  eyes,  nor  could  I  re- 
spond by  making  a  single  movement  of  my  hps  or 
features,  to  let  him  see  that  my  heart  responded  to  all 
that  he  had  said  and  done.  It  seemed  to  me  that  the 
fountains  of  affection  for  my  dear  Chns  were  dned  up, 
and  I  was  utterly  barred  from  giving  expression  to 
what  I  felt.  He  knelt  at  my  side  weepmg  most  piti- 
fully, one  of  his  hands  was  holding  mine  m  a  firm  gnp, 


SHIPWRECKED  ON  LAKE  ONTARIO  297 


mi. 


his  left  arm  wu  thrown  round  my  neck  with  his  fitc>; 
buried  in  the  pillow  which  supported  my  head.  I  took 
in  the  whole  scene,  and  it  made  strong  men  in  that 
saloon  weep,  but  I  I*wd  lost  the  power  of  giving  expres- 
sion to  any  kind  of  natural  emotion,  and  simply  laid 
there  like  a  statue  carved  out  of  marble,  but  gradually, 
as  if  a  great  mist  or  cloud  was  settling  down,  the 
pathetic  scene  faded  away,  and  I  again  lapsed  into 
unconsciousness. 

Doctor  Barnard  had  sent  to  the  hospital  for  a 
stretcher,  and  on  its  arrival  they  rolled  me  up  in 
blankets,  placing  me  on  it  in  as  comfortable  a  position 
as  possible,  and  I  was  carried  to  the  hotel  on  the 
shoulders  of  four  of  my  friends,  but  was  unconscious 
and  quite  oblivious  of  all  their  tender  ministradons. 
As  they  carried  me  up  the  main  stairway  of  the  hotel 
to  my  room,  nearly  all  the  guests  were  standing  in 
the  hallways  or  leaning  over  the  banisters  watching 
the  men  carry  me  up  the  stairs.  Among  the  latter 
was  a  fashionably  gowned  lady,  who  had  arrived  from 
Montreal  the  evening  before,  but  as  soon  as  she  caught 
a  glimpse  of  my  face,  asked  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel 
if  I  was  not  Jack  Arling  of  Montreal.  On  bis  replying 
in  the  affirmative,  she  said:  "Why,  I  know  him  very 
well  indeed  1  I  am  so  sorry  for  him,  can  I  do  anything 
to  help  him?"  It  was  Mrs.  Kate  Barring,  the  star 
actress,  who  asked  the  quesrion.  She  had  just  arrived 
to  fill  a  two  months'  engagement  at  the  Opera  House. 
She  was  the  widow  of  Captain  Barring  of  the  Forty- 
seventh  Regiment,  which  had  been  stationed  at  Mon- 
treal four  years  pre^'iously,  where  I  had  becmne  ac- 
quainted with  them,  and  had  taught  them  both  to 


MB        THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

tkate  at  Gtlbault't  Rink.  1  had  apent  many  a  pleasant 
evening  with  them  at  their  quarters  in  the  barracks. 
In  answer  to  Mrs.  Barring's  question,  the  proprietor 
of  the  hotel  said  he  would  be  greatly  obliged  if  rtie 
would  kindly  assist,  "  for  he  has  had  a  very  narrow 
escape,  and  lorely  needi  aU  the  help  we  can  give  him, 
but  from  what  the  doctors  say,  I  am  afraid  he  wiU  not 
need  help  very  long. "  .    ,  ,        ,    .  e 

Then  he  told  her  of  the  wreck  of  the  yacht,  but  of 
course  all  he  knew  was  gathered  from  swries  whidi 
Wilson  was  spreading  uroadcaat,  and  posing  as  the 
hero  of  the  occasion,  and  as  the  doctors  had  said  there 
was  slight  hope  of  my  recovery  therefore  he  deaded 
to  make  all  the  capital  out  of  the  episode  that  he  pos- 
sibly could,  as  there  was  no  one  to  contradict  him.  Mid 
never  would,  for  he  was  satisfied  in  his  own  mind  that 
I  would  not  live  many  hours.   He  kept  himself  in  the 
UmeUght  all  the  time,  and  told  the  reporters,  and  all 
that  would  listen  to  him,  of  the  superhuman  elForts  he 
had  put  forth  to  save  Mac's  life,  until  he  became  abso- 
lutely exhausted  himself,  and  when  in  this  condition 
he  had  seen  poor  Mac  washed  away,  and  was  utterly 
unable  to  help  him.   But  just  as  soon  as  he  had  pulled 
himself  together  he  had  turned  all  his  efforts  toward 
saving  me,  which  he  at  last  accomplished  by  lashing  me 
to  the  prow  of  the  yacht  where  the  captam  of  the 
propeller  found  me.  These  stories  and  many  others 
were  publbhed  in  the  newspapers,  and  some  of  them 
with  Wilson's  signature  attached,  for  the  reporters 
refused    >  publish  stories  unless  he  signed  them. 
Of  course  Chris  and  Charley  Hurd  posinvely  refused 
to  beUeve  these  yarns,  and  told  the  reporters  to  be 


SHnPWREC] 


ON  LAKE  ONTARIO  «M 


careful  what  they  published,  for  they  were  convinced 
they  were  pure  fabrications,  and  to  prove  it  said  that 
I  wai  ft  powerful  fwimmcr,  and  on  account  of  nny  great 
love  for  Mac  that  I  would  never  leave  htm  to  hie  fate 
without  a  struggle. 

Then  they  pointed  to  my  pitiable  condition,  as 
proof  of  their  contention,  hovering  between  life  and 
death,  with  bruises  and  scars  all  over  my  body,  and 
my  face  almost  unrec(^;nizable.  In  contrast  to  this 
ihty  said,  look  at  Wilson !  not  a  thing  the  matter  with 
him,  with  the  exception  of  being  full  of  whiskey;  his 
chest  swelled  out  witF  pride  posing  as  a  hero;  receiving 
money,  clothes,  and  gifts  of  all  kinds,  and  making  all 
the  capital  lie  possibly  can  out  c'Ns  sudden  popularity. 

Nearly  every  ant  had  given  j  -  b<  pe  of  my  recovery, 
with  one  exception,  and  that  exception  was  Kate  Bar- 
ring, for  as  soon  as  I  was  placed  in  my  bed  she  took 
full  charge  of  my  case,  under  the  supervision  of  Dr. 
Barnard.  Kate  Barring,  Chris  and  Charley  Hurd 
agreed  among  themselves  that  I  was  not  to  be  left 
alone  for  one  nwment,  and  one  or  the  other  of  them  was 
to  be  in  my  room  all  the  time.  She  told  Chris  that  she 
had  had  great  experience  in  tending  wounded  soldiers 
in  the  army,  and  had  seen  men  lay  in  a  stupor  for  days 
at  a  time,  utterly  oblivious  to  all  their  surroundings, 
given  up  as  hop^ss  cases  by  the  surgeons,  and  yet  by 
care  and  attentir  n  come  round  in  time,  and  be  as  well 
as  ever,  and  I  am  firmly  convinced  this  will  be  repeated 
in  Jack's  case. 

She  also  said  "  I  am  having  a  couch  brought  into 
Jack's  room,  and  am  going  to  make  that  my  bed  until 
he  ia  better,  for  I  am  a  very  li^t  sleeper.  We  will 


l«kf  ■?jt"y 


900         THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

Uke  turns  about  watching  Jack  at  night,  but  I  want 
you  to  wake  me  immediately  at  any  time  Jack  comes 
out  of  this  stupor,  for  I  think  I  know  ejuctbr  what  to  do 
under  the  circumstances."  Chris  and  Chari«=/Hurd 
would  not  listen  to  her  deeping  on  the  couch,  but 
secured  the  room  next  to  mine,  as  there  was  a  door 
connecting  the  two  rooms,  and  insisted  on  her  occu- 
pying it,  as  she  would  be  so  much  more  comfortable, 
and  just  as  convenient  to  call  as  if  in  my  room. 

I  had  been  quite  violent  at  times  dunng  the  deUnum, 
and  the  doctor  had  been  forced  to  have  me  strapped 
down  in  the  bed  for  fear  I  would  hurt  myself. 

One  very  hot  Sunday  morning  in  June,  Kate  sug- 
gested, as  I  seemed  to  be  very  quiet,  that  they  should 
loosen  the  straps  or  bands  which  were  holduig  me  down, 
which  they  did,  and  they  aU  three  went  over  and  sat 
down  facing  the  open  window.   Shortly  after  this  was 
done,  I  thought  I  saw  Mac,  m  my  deUnum,  smking  in 
the  water  near  the  upturned  yacht,  on  which  I  thought 
I  was  standing.  I  had  raised  myself  up  mto  an  upright 
position  on  the  bed,  and  had  accomphshed  it  so  noise- 
lessly that  none  of  them  heard  me  move,  nor  did  they 
see  me,  for  they  were  looking  out  of  the  window,  and 
just  as  Mac's  body  was  sinking,  as  I  thought  in  my  wild 
imagination,  I  dived,  and  my  head  came  m  contact 
with  the  floor  with  a  smash,  where  I  lay  limp  and 
motionless.   Kate  screamed  and  ran  towards  me, 
Chris  and  Charley  Kurd  lifted  me  up  and  placed  me 
again  on  the  bed.   They  all  thought  I  was  dead,  for 
my  face,  neck,  and  shoulders  were  streaming  with 
blood.   Chris  had  his  horse  and  buggy  at  ^^T' 
and  made  quick  time  for  the  doctor,  landing  him  at  the 


SmFWHECKED  ON  LAKE  ONTARIO  SOI 


hotel  in  a  very  short  tun^  giving  him  full  explanations 

on  the  way. 

Soon  after  the  doctor  began  operations  I  recovered 
cmisciousness,  and  for  the  first  time  in  eleven  days. 
Then  the  doctor  tried  to  adminuter  a  little  nourish- 
ment, but  nothing  would  remain  on  my  stomach,  and 
I  gradually  grew  weaker  until  the  doctor  decided  to 
have  a  consultation,  and  called  in  two  other  members 
of  the  profession  the  following  Sunday  morning.  The 
consultation  was  held  in  the  adjoining  room,  and  when 
dirough.  Doctor  Barnard  returned  and  sat  down  by 
my  side,  and  in  a  very  sympathetic  tone  of  voice  said: 
"Jack!  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  instead  of 
medical  attention  you  need  spiritual  consolarion,  for 
my  two  friends  and  mysdf  have  concluded  that  you 
cannot  live  very  long."  "My  dear  doctor,"  I  said, 
"do  not  let  that  worry  you  for  one  moment;  I  am  not 
go'ng  to  die,  at  least  for  some  time,  and  I  will  get  over 
this  all  right."  "Do  not  deceive  yourself.  Jack," 
replied  Doctor  Barnard,  "it  Is  impossible  for  you  to 
recover,  as  you  cannot  hold  nourishment  on  your 
stomach  for  a  moment,  but  if  there  is  anything  you 
think  you  would  like  to  have,  we  will  get  it  for  you." 
"If  there  is  any  one  thing  in  the  world  that  I  would 
like  to  have  more  than  another,"  I  replied,  "it  would 
be  a  cigar." 

"A  cigar!  why,  Jack!  a  cigar  would  mean  your 
death,  you  would  not  live  out  the  day  if  you  were  to 
smoke  one."  "And  how  long  do  you  think  I  will  live 
if  I  don't  smoke  one  ? "  I  asked.  "  Well,  Jack,"  said  the 
doctor,  hardly  think  you  can  expect  to  live  beyond 
next  Wednesday."  "Then,  if  I  have  to  die,  what  dif- 


802        THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

ference  does  a  day  or  two  make?"  I  ventured  to  reply, 
"but  do  not  lose  any  sleep  over  it,  my  dear  doctor,  I 
am  not  going  to  die  just  yet." 

When  Doctor  Barnard  went  out  I  persuaded  Kate 
to  take  one  of  the  cigars  a  friend  had  sent  me,  and  cut 
the  end  off  of  it,  and  place  it  between  my  Ups.  She 
did  so  and  held  a  lighted  match  to  it  until  I  began  to 
smoke,  for  I  was  utterly  unable  to  help  myself,  and  I 
smoke-i  that  cigar  until  there  was  nothing  left  save  the 
butt  end.   After  finishing  the  cigar  I  became  drowsy 
at  once,  and  dropped  off  into  a  sound  sleep.   It  was  just 
five  o'clock  when  I  woke  up  and  found  Doctor  Barnard 
sitting  by  my  bedside  watching  me  intently.   I  felt 
ever  so  much  better,  for  this  was  the  first  real  sleep 
I  had  smce  the  accident.   "Why,  Jack,  my  boy! 
exclaimed  Doctor  Barnard,  "y<M  have  had  a  fine  sleep. 
I  have  been  watching  you  for  two  whole  hours.  There 
is  certainly  a  great  change  in  your  case  for  the  better, 
your  temperature  has  fallen,  and  your  pulse  is  much 
more  regular,  and  if  this  keeps  up  I  think  you  may 
have  a  fighting  chance  to  pull  through." 

"Why,  doctor!  didn't  I  tell  you  this  mommg  I  was 
not  going  to  die,  and  I  am  not,  for  I  feel  much  better." 
Kate  came  over  to  my  bedside  and  induced  me  to  take 
a  little  chicken  broth,  and  fed  it  to  me  with  a  spoon, 
for  I  was  unable  to  feed  myself,  and  then  I  dropped  off 
into  another  sound  sleep,  and  did  not  wake  up  unal 
next  morning.  The  doctor  called,  as  he  did  the  hrst 
thing  every  day,  and  administered  more  nounshment, 
and  as  soon  as  he  left  I  had  another  cigar. 

I  improved  so  much  during  the  next  few  days,  that 
the  doctor  allowed  me  to  look  over  a  large  budget  of 


SHIPWRECKED  ON  LAKE  ONTARIO  SOS 


letters  which  had  accumulated  during  my  sickness. 
I  was  greatly  interested  in  them,  for  there  were  letters 
from  nearly  all  my  lady  and  gentlemen  friends;  Susie 
Rabton  and  some  of  my  other  dear  friends  wrote 
several. 

I  also  discovered  that  during  my  illness,  bouquets  of 
flowers  and  dainties  had  been  sent  to  me  almost  every 
day,  and  of  every  description,  by  my  many  friends, 
but  there  was  one  letter  which  impressed  me  more 
than  all  the  other  letters  put  together;  it  was  from  my 
dear  little  friend  Katy  White.  It  was  written  with 
such  a  whole-hearted  spirit  of  honest  sincerity,  that  I 
made  up  my  mind  that  if  I  recovered,  and  ever  thought 
seriously  of  marrying,  she  was  the  gi-l,  of  all  others,  that 
I  would  choose  for  a  wife. 

From  this  time  on  I  gradually  improved,  diou^ 
only  weighing  ninety-seven  pounds  against  my  normal 
weight  of  one  hundred  and  forty-five. 

One  morning  Chris,  Charley  Hurd,  and  several 
of  my  gentlemen  friends,  and  accompanied  by  two  I 
strangers,  walked  into  my  room  by  permission  of  the  I 
doctor. 

Up  to  this  time  I  had  not  been  allowed  to  meet 
strangers,  or  even  friends,  with  the  exception  of  Chris 
and  Charley  Hurd,  nor  was  the  subject  of  the  yacht 
accident  allowed  to  be  alluded  to  in  conversation  in 
my  presence,  therefore  I  was  not  aware  of  the  interest 
taken  in  my  welfare  by  the  people  of  Toronto,  and  now 
discovered  for  the  first  time  that  the  newspapers  had 
written  a  full  account  of  the  wreck  in  their  morning  and 
evening  editions,  and  had  published  reports  every  day, 
furnished  by  Doctor  Barnard,  as  to  my  condition. 


SM        THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

Two  weekt  had  now  elapsed  since  I  was  carried  into 
my  room,  more  dead  than  alive;  but  was  now  so  much 
better  that  the  doctor  had  lifted  the  ban  and  given 
Chris  permission  to  bring  in  a  few  friends  to  see  m^ 
and  also  two  newspaper  reporters  to  mterview  me.  1 
became  quite  nervous  and  excited  on  seemg  so  many 
people  in  my  room,  but  Kate  came  to  my  rescue  and 
sat  down  by  my  side  and  held  my  hand  m  hers,  smooth- 
inc  my  forehead  with  the  disengaged  hand,  and  soon 
quieted  my  nerves.   Chris  said:  "Jackl  you  have  a 
great  many  friends  in  Toronto,  and  they  wish  to  hear 
aU  about  the  wreck,  so  I  have  brought  a  couple  of 
friends  of  mine  (who  are  reporters)  in  to  see  you,  and 
they  would  like  to  hear  the  story  from  your  own  hps. 

They  were  both  very  gentlemanly  men,  most  kuid 
and  considerate  in  opening  the  conversation,  makmg 
me  feel  at  ease  in  talking  to  them. 

They  never  once  mentioned  Wilson's  name,  there- 
fore I  was  not  aware  he  had  uttered  a  word  to  anyone 
about  the  wreck,  much  less  his  having  given  lengthy 
interviews  to  reporters  for  publication.  The  reporters 
used  a  good  deal  of  tact  in  not  asking  me  many  ques- 
tions, for  they  were  anxious  to  get  a  truthful,  unbiased 
story  of  the  tragic  episode.    So  they  gradually  inter- 
ested me  by  asking  a  few  simple  questions  about  our 
meeting  at  the  Yonge  Street  wharf  to  look  over  the 
yacht,  then  of  Mac's  suggestion  diat  we  go  out  for  a 
nhort  sail,  of  our  inexperience  as  yachtsmen,  and  lastly 
of  Wilson  offering  his  services,  boasting  that  he  was 
tiioroughly  acquainted  with  saiHng  a  yacht,  and  that 
on  the  strength  of  tiiis  stttement  we  hired  him  to  sad 
us  round  the  bay. 


SPIFWRECKED  OS  LAKE  ONTABIO  80S 


On  returning  to  our  starting  point  Chris  and  the 
others  jumped  out,  but  that  Mac  plead  for  another 
sail,  but  Oiris  uiged  us  strcm^y  not  to  go  out  again; 
Mac  still  perristed  and  succecNled  in  getting  me  to 
decide  for  just  one  more  turn  round  the  bay. 

By  very  skillful  probing  the  reporters  succeeded  in 
getting  my  mind  working,  and  brought  the  whole  of  the 
details  of  the  accident  back  to  my  mind,  and  I  began  to 
talk  without  further  urging  or  coadiing,  and  told  than 
the  whole  story  in  a  simple  conversational  way  fnnn 
the  time  we  left  the  Yonge  Street  wharf  on  our  second 
journey  until  we  were  rescued  by  the  captain  <^  the 
propeller. 

And  they  were  omvinced  they  were  listening  to  a 
truthful  story  of  the  wreck  for  the  first  time. 

When  describing  my  anxiety  of  mind,  fearing  Mac 
would  be  lost,  and  beseeching  Wilson  to  help  me,  it  was 
all  so  real  to  me  that  the  tears  were  streaming  down  my 
cheeks,  and  I  sobbed  and  cried,  saying  as  I  at  last  broke 
down  in  the  recital,  "<%I  it  was  so  cruel  and  wicked 
of  him  not  to  help  me,  for  we  certainly  could  have 
saved  him!" 

Not  a  word  was  uttered  by  any  one  in  the  room  as  I 
finished  the  story,  but  the  tense  silence  was  broken  by 
Kate  sobbing  as  though  her  heart  would  break,  and 
she  was  not  alone  for  even  the  reporters  were  laboring 
under  the  suppressed  emotion  and  wiping  the  tears 
from  their  eyes.  "Now,  gentlemen!"  said  Chris,  "you 
have  the  exact  facts.  I  knew  that  when  Jack  became 
able  to  talk  you  would  get  a  truthful  version  of  the 
sad  story,  and  all  I  have  to  say  is  God  help  Wilson  if 
ever  I  lay  my  hands  on  him." 


806        THE  MAKING  Of  A  CANADIAN 

The  whole  story  as  I  had  related  i  to  the  >  wportwt 
was  pubUshed  that  evening,  word  for  word,  in  tfie 
newspapers  When  the  factt  became  known,  a  number 
of  my  fciendi  and  sympathizers  started  a  hunt  for 
Wilson,  but  when  they  came  upon  him  he  was  too 
drunk  to  comprehend  what  they  wanted  him  for,  and 
to  waken  him  up,  and  frighten  him  at  the  same  trnw^ 
some  of  them  shouted  out,  "Let's  get  a  rope  and  weTl 
string  him  up!"  This  seemed  to  bring  him  to  his  senses, 
for  the  moment  it  dawned  on  his  besotted  mmd  that 
the  crowd  were  really  going  to  hang  him  he  begged  for 
mercy,  groveling  on  the  ground  at  their  feet  in  an 
agony  of  fright.  The  leader  of  the  crowd  adled  for 
silence,  and  read  my  story  as  it  was  prmted  that  day 

in  the  evening  papers.  ,     ,  «c  a 

'  Then  the  leader  turned  to  Wilson  and  said:  btand 

up  on  your  feet!  Now,  sir,  answer  me!  Is  that  account 
of  the  wreck,  as  I  have  read  it,  true  or  not?"  Wilson 
started  right  in  to  try  and  excuse  himself,  but  the 
leader  yelled  at  him  to  shut  up,  "as  we  have  heard 
all  the  lies  we  wish  to  hear  from  you.  Answer,  yes  or 
no!"  Then  Wilson  blurted  out,  "  If  you  wiU  let  me 
go  I  will  confess!" 

He  admitted  that  my  story  was  absolutely  true, 
but  tried  to  excuse  his  conduct  by  saying  that  all 
through  the  terrible  storm  he  was  so  paralyzed  by 
fright  he  did  not  know  what  he  was  doing,  and  agam 
cried  and  begged  for  mercy. 

"Shut  up  that  cant!"  shouted  the  leader  to  Wilson. 
"What  is  your  verdict,  gentlemen?"  "Hang  himl 
hang  him!"  yelled  the  crowd  (though  they  had 
no  intention  of  doing  anything  of  the  kind,  but 


eaSFWBSCKED  ON  UKB  OMTABIO  m 

WMittd  to  ftrike  terror  into  the  heart  of  the  crinsiiiff 
coward).  — 

Mr.  Chairman!  I  would  like  to  make  a  suggestkm," 
and  pomting  his  finger  at  Wilson  said:  "This  con- 
tonptible,  lying,  craven  coward  has  admitted  his  guilt 
with  his  own  lips;  he  is  not  fit  to  Uve  in  a  respectable 
community,  and  as  we  do  not  want  to  stain  our  hands 
with  his  blood,  I  propose  that  we  form  two  lines 
facing  each  other,  and  make  him  run  the  gantlet,  and 
drive  him  out  of  the  city,  warning  him  that  if  ever  he 
returns,  we  will  tar  and  fea  her  him." 

This  suggestion  was  adopted.  The  two  lines  were 
formed,  about  five  feet  apart,  and  Wilson  was  given 
rather  a  vigorous  start,  and  he  made  a  run  for  it, 
receiving  many  a  well-merited  kick  and  cufF  to  acceler- 
ate his  progress,  and  amidst  the  jeers,  hisses  and  yells 
of  the  crowd  he  was  driven  from  the  city  and  was  never 
known  to  return. 


CHAPTER  XXII 


I  TELL  KATY  MY  GREAT  SECRET 

Six  incmths  after  tbe  events  related  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter  Chris  was  married  to  Mary  White. 
It  was  a  costly,  fashionable  wedding;  no  expense  was 
spared  to  make  the  occasion  as  imposing  as  possible. 
The  church  was  beautifully  decorated;  the  lervicet  of 
the  most  prominent  musicians  in  the  city  were  secured, 
and  the  large  edifice  was  crowded  with  guests. 

Visitors  from  all  parts  of  Canada  were  at  the  church 
to  witness  the  ceremony;  nothing  was  left  undone  by 
dressmaker,  milliner,  jeweler,  or  florist  to  make  the 
bride  more  beautiful  and  charming  than  ever. 

Chris  and  Mary  ceruinly  made  a  very  handsome 
couple,  as  they  stood  in  front  of  the  officiating  clergy- 
man, as  he  pronounced  them  man  and  wife.  When 
the  sumptuous  wedding  breakfast  was  over  the  bridal 
party  left  for  their  honeymoon  amidst  the  cheers  and 
good  wishes  of  all  the  assembled  guests. 

Although  I  was  still  very  weak  and  far  from  well  I 
of  course  attended  the  wedding,  acting  as  best  man  for 
Chris.  I  must  say  I  did  not  feel  quite  happy,  for  I 
was  sorely  afraid  that  after  the  novelty  of  wedded  Ufc 
had  passed,  they  might  not  be  congenial  companions. 
I  tried  ytry  hard  to  drive  these  gloomy  thoughts  from 
my  mind,  but  they  persisted  in  forcing  themselves  on 
my  attention,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  I  had  something 

308 


I  TELL  KATY  MY  GREAT 

else  to  think  about.  For  Katy  was  the  first  brides- 
maid-and  she  certainly  looked  bewitching.  She  wm 
beautifully  but  plainly  dres^d,  in  companMn  with  her 
sister  Mary,  the  bride. 

But  with  the  same  charm  of  manner,  honesty  and 
■mcenty  apparent  in  every  word  spoken  and  in  every 
act  performed,  to  me  the  seemed  in  a  class  by  her- 
self, a  perfect  little  woman,  too  good  for  this  world 
of  ostentatious  display,  pride,  and  shams.   She  was 
extremely  sohcitous  as  to  my  welfare  and  comfort 
and  kept  puzzling  her  young  brain  from  morning  until 
mght  to  devise  means  to  bring  me  back  to  my  normal 
condmon  of  health.    Both  her  father  and  mother  urged 
me  to  remain  with  them  for  a  few  days  at  least,  and 
rest;  and  Katy  said  it  would  be  a  shame  to  think  of 
going,  as  they  were  all  so  anxious  to  see  me  become  well 
and  stronger.   So  I  accepted  their  kind  invitation  to 
remain  for  a  short  rime,  as  I  was  anxious  to  benefit  by 
Doctor  White's  advice. 

Of  course  Katy  and  I  were  together  a  good  deal  of 
the  time  I  remained  at  Ottawa.   And  the  more  I 

^^.i^'-  ****  "^'^  ^  became  convinced  that  she  was 
a  perfect  little  rock  of  common  sense,  absolutely  sin- 
cere, and  truthful  to  a  fault.  We  frequently  stroUed 
tiirough  the  beautiful  arbor  walks  at  the  rear  of  the 
Parliament  Buildings,  overlooking  the  Ottawa  River, 
and  from  this  elevation  at  the  top  of  die  high  blufFs 
the  view  was  magnificent,  taking  in  not  only  the  river 
with  aU  Its  windings,  but  the  Chaudier  Falls  and  the 
great  mountain  ranges,  like  giant  sentinels,  forming 
an  imposing  background  of  impenetrable  granite  rock. 
From  this  vantage  point  one  would  never  tire  watching 


810 


IBB  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


the  great  rafts  of  timber  shooting  the  slides  from  the 
upper  waters,  and  plunging  headlong  into  the  river  at 
the  foot  of  the  falls. 

One  beautiful  afternoon  Katy  and  I  were  sittmg 
on  one  of  the  rustic  seats  admiring  this  magnificent 
view,  when  I  said  to  her,  "Katy,  I  am  going  away  to- 
morrow, and  I  may  not  see  you  again  for  a  long  time. 
But  before  I  go  I  want  to  tell  you  of  something  which  . 
occurred,  soon  after  I  recover^  consciousness,  during 
my  late  sickness.    Kate  Barring  said  to  me  one  morn- 
ing, 'Jack,  the  doctor  said  to  me  last  night  that  if  I 
thought  you  were  well  enough  this  morning,  that  you 
might  be  permitted  to  read  the  letters  which  have 
accumubted  since  you  were  taken  sick/   She  then 
handed  me  a  large  package  of  letters;  I  became  greatly 
interested  in  reading  them,  for  they  were  all  written  in 
such  a  kindly,  sympathetic  strain,  and  they  came  from 
nearly  all  the  people  of  my  acquaintance,  and  I  wa« 
greatly  touched  with  the  sentiment  which  pervaded 
them  all.   But  do  you  know,  Katy,  that  the  very  last 
letter  in  the  parcel  was  from  you!  and  I  thought  it  the 
kindest  and  sweetest  letter  of  them  all;  and  so  much  so 
that  I  have  carried  that  letter  in  my  pocket  from  that 
day  to  this;  and  hardly  a  day  has  passed  since  that 
time  that  I  have  not  read  it,  and  sometimes  more  than 
once."   "I  am  more  than  pleased  to  know  that  my 
letter  gave  you  so  much  pleasure,"  replied  Katy,  "and 
that  being  the  case,  I  will  write  you  again  while  you  are 
away,  if  you  think  you  would  like  to  hear  from  me." 

"Why,  that  is  the  very  thing  I  was  going  to  ask 
you  to  do,  Katy,  and  in  return  I  will  promise  to  write 
you  every  week,  describiog  all  that  I  see,  and  all  that 


I  TELL  KATY  MY  GBEAT  SECRET 


transpires  during  my  travels,  in  fact  I  will  send  you  a 
little  story  of  my  wanderings  in  each  letter,  for  I 
expect  to  be  away  for  some  time." 

"I  think  that  a  splendid  idea,  Jack,"  said  Katy,  "for 
It  will  give  me  something  to  kwk  forward  to  all  the 
time.  I  receive  but  few  lettert,  at  I  have  but  few  cop- 
respondents.  Aunt  Maggie  and  Aunt  Harvey  write  me 
occasionally,  and  I  also  receive  every  two  or  three 
weeks  a  letter  from  Mary  Turner— an  old  school  friend 
of  mine;  and  these  are  all  I  hear  from.  But  now  I  will 
be  looking  for  your  letters  every  time  the  postman 
rings  the  bell." 

Katy  had  seen  very  little  of  society,  and  nothing  of 
the  world.    She  was  the  domesticated  member  of  the 
family  and  the  housekeeper  of  the  home,  the  con- 
fidante of  her  father,  and  the  very  idol  of  his  heart. 
He  was  teaching  her  the  science  of  medicine.   He  told 
me  that  she  was  the  most  apt  pupil  he  had  ever  taught, 
and  had  progressed  so  far  as  to  be  able  to  make  up  his 
prescriptions.   In  conversation  with  the  doctor  one 
day,  he  said  that  he  had  never  favored  women  doctors. 
But  that  if  ever  a  woman  was  bom  to  the  profession. 
It  was  his  daughter  Katy.   Therefore,  he  said,  he  was 
putting  her  through  a  course  of  study  and  reading, 
so  that  before  very  long  she  would  be  fully  equipped 
to  go  before  any  board  of  medical  examiners  and  pass  a 
creditable  examination. 

Of  course  i. y  thoughts  concerning  Katy  and  her 
future  were  altogether  different  to  his,  but  he  did  not 
know  that.  He  and  Katy  were  very  much  alike  in  one 
respect,  they  were  not  at  all  suspicious. 

We  spent  a  v?ry  quiet  evening  together  in  the  sitting 


9IS         THE  lAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

room,  for  1  was  going  to  leave  the  n«t  m-  nlng. 
Mrs.  White  was  trying  to  read  a  book,  ^^J^'^J^^ 
Katy  and  I  were  having  quite  an  animated 


tion,  principally  on  my  traTeli  and  v»no»  «^ 
enci  but  at  it  w«f  Ute.  we  w«e  ab«n  » 

retire,  when  the  doctor  said  . 

"Jwk,  you  certainly  have  had  a  libeial  educttitm, 
in  ipite  of  the  fact  that  you  ,  id  to  leave  school  at  ^ 
early  age  of  fourteen;  yet  any  man  that  hat  had  the 
advantages  of  travel  Aat  you  have  had,  with  the 
faculty  of  ohtervation  which  you  possess,  has  had  a 
most  liberal  education.  I  will  certainly  miss  your 
•tones  of  travel  very  much  after  you  leave  us. 

"But,  father,"  said  Katy,  "we  are  gomg  to  have  the 
stories  all  right,  for  jack  and  I  have  agpeed  to  corrcK 
nKmd  during  hit  abtence;  he  hat  promised  to  wnte 
me  a  description  of  every  thing  he  sees  that  he  thinks 
wiU  be  of  interest."  Mrs.  White  entered  in.o  the 
conversation  at  this  point,  by  asking  Katy  the  quea- 
tion,  "Katy,  did  you  ask  Jack  to  wnte  yott  evwr 
week  during  his  absence?'*  _   ,  ^,  , 

"Yet,  I  did,"  said  Katy,  "for  Jack  told  me  th.t 
when  he  was  sick  the  letter  I  wrote  him  pleased  h  i 
more  than  any  letter  he  had  ever  receive  ana 
replied  that,  that  being  the  case,  I  wodd  wnte  him 
frequently;  and  he  promised  that  he  would  w  te  me 
story  of  his  tmveb  every  week.   Isn  t  that  the  way 
came  about,  Jack?"  asked  Katy,  appealmg  to  me? 

I  could  not  help  smiling  at  Katy's  mgeni-ous  way 
of  explaining  the  way  it  came  about,  as  she  called  it,  to 
her  mother.  But  the  doctor  simply  shook  t  isndw 
with  laughter  at  the  tmtfafiil  sincenty  of  frank 


I  TELL  KATY  .lY  GREAT  SECH£T  SIS 

reply  to  her  mother  s  question.  One  could  Me  at  a 
glance  that  her  idolized  father  had  much  mon  to  do 
With  her  training  than  her  mother— f.^  thete  weie  hit 
natural  :harn(  nstios. 

I  left  Ott  aw«  the  next  morning  for  Toronto.  As  a 
hit  word  .o  Kary  I  reminded  her  of  her  promise  to 
write  me  met  long  letters,  and  not  to  forget,  for  I 
certomJy  wou.  1  bt  lookinir  for  them. 

"Wl  3',  Jack,  oi  ou.  i  will  write,  for  I  piomiied» 
and  then  y  Ou  know,    w.nt  to  get  yours." 

So  I  bid  the  «tor  and  Katy  goodbye-  aey  had 
come  dowi  to  the  :atic  to  see  me  off— and  jumped 
ontu  the  end  n  ,ch,    here  I  could  see  them 

wavmg  th^ir  hanJKcrci     .  in  f.  iwell  until  a  curve  in 
itcd  me  from  seeing  them  longer. 
fe*i«ness  in  first-class  shape  under  the 
of  Harry  Haig,  who  had  fuU  charge  while 
1  was  forced  to  have  someone  at  home  as 
dent  or  manager  in  my  absence    Jt  I  was 
'■    the  city  a  great  deal.    Fortun;      -  I  had 
'  serviMs  d  Harry  Haig  some  mc  prior 
nt  accident,  and  I  was  saved  a  tot  t  oriy 
T  was  laid  up.    For  when  I  was  at  la»t  able 
ih   office,  I  found  everything  in  a  flourishing 
coi  ai  jxii  so  that  now  I  had  no  hesitancy  in  leaving 
foror  to  for  weeks  at  a  rime,  knowing  that  my  interests 
were  well  taken  care  of  in  my  absence. 

The  American  houses  wh  id  I  represented  in  Canada 
h     b   n  pressing  me  for  a  long  rime  to  add  to  my  ter- 
1     y  some  of  the  larger  cities  in  the  Western  States 
aau  some  time  prior  to  this  I  had  opened  a  branch  iri 
Caucago.  This  particular  branch  now  needed  my 


tlte  tiizd  p>  t. 
T  £Mmd 

r 

i  was 
supcnntt 
a«ay  fr-^ 

to 

all 

tc 


814 


THE  IIUONG  OF  A  CANADIAN 


presence,  and  shortly  after  my  arrival  at  Toronto  from 
Ottawa,  I  started  for  Chicago.  Harry  Haig,  in  bidding 
me  good-bye  at  the  G.  T.  R.  station  at  Torontcs  pioo^ 
ised  to  write  or  wire  me  every  day,  keeping  me  thor- 
oughly posted  as  to  the  business  during  my  stay  in  the 
West.  My  sojourn  at  Chicago  extended  from  a  few 
weeks,  as  I  had  expected,  into  months  b^ore  I  was 
able  to  return  to  Toronto. 

During  all  that  rime  I  kept  faith  with  Katy  by 
wriring  her  a  letter — and  somerimes  two — every  week, 
and  received  her  replies,  just  as  she  had  promised, 
never  missing  a  week.  Her  letters  were  a  great  help 
to  me,  expressing  the  most  beautiful  thoughts,  and 
filled  with  good  cheer;  emanating  from  a  heart  filled 
with  love  and  sympathy  for  every  one;  for  her  religion 
was  made  up  largely  of  cheerfulness  and  good  will  to 
all.  No  one  with  whom  she  came  in  contact  was  left 
very  long  in  doubt  as  to  the  hold  the  Christian  relig^coi 
had  upon  her  heart,  for  it  dominated  her  life.  Ther^ 
fore  her  letters  inspired  me,  bracing  me  up  like  a 
tonic,  helping  me  to  reach  out  after  higher  things,  and 
a  more  noble  and  useful  life  than  the  one  I  had  been 
leading.  I  had  not  seen  Katy  for  over  six  months, 
and  was  thoxfore  very  much  pleased  when  the  bun- 
ness  "which  had  detained  me  in  Chicago  for  so  long  a 
rime  was  completed,  and  I  was  enabled  to  advise  her 
in  my  next  letter  that  I  was  about  to  return  to  Toronto. 
I  had  another  strong  reason  for  wishing  to  get  back  to 
Canada— I  had  never  really  recovmd  from  the  effects 
of  die  yaditing  accident,  and  was  not  feeling  at  all 
strong.  On  die  advice  of  a  friend  I  had  fully  made  up 
my  mind  to  go  to  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior  and 


I  TELL  KATY  IftY  GREAT  SECRET 


815 


rough  it  in  the  open  for  a  while.  He  told  me  that  he 
had  been  suffering  with  tubercular  trouble,  and  that 
die  doctors  had  pronounced  his  case  hopeless;  but 
on  hearing  that  a  life  in  the  North  Woods  might 
save  his  life  he  took  the  chance  and  went  there,  living 
with  the  trappers  and  Indians  in  the  open  all  the  time, 
and  seldom  under  cover,  and  at  the  end  of  two  years 
he  returned  home  feeling  as  well  as  ever  he  did  in  his 
life.  So  I  made  up  my  mind  to  do  the  very  same  thing. 
On  my  arrival  at  Toronto  Harry  Haig  was  standing  on 
the  platform  of  the  station  waiting  for  me.  I  told 
Harry  what  I  intended  doing;  he  thought  it  an  excel- 
lent idea,  and  urged  me  to  lose  no  time,  but  to  get  away 
to  the  North  Woods  as  soon  as  possible,  if  there  was  a 
diance  for  a  permanent  cure.  He  assured  me  that  he 
would  devote  every  hour  of  his  time  and  his  wfaofe 
attention  to  the  business — as  if  it  were  his  own — 
during  my  absence.  He  and  I  decided  to  put  every- 
thing in  shape  at  the  office,  and  if  possible  I  was  to 
leave  the  following  week  for  the  North  Woods. 

The  hotd  derk  handed  me  a  special  delivery 
stamped  letter  as  soon  as  I  entered  the  hotel.  It  was 
from  Katy,  informing  me  that  she  was  leaving  that 
morning  for  Toronto,  and  asked  me  to  meet  her  on  the 
arrival  <rf  the  ten  o'clock  train  that  evening.  I  just 
had  time  to  have  dinnor  and  run  for  it,  arriving  at  the 
station  just  as  the  Eastern  express  was  pulling  in»> 
the  depot,  and  help  Katy  to  alight  from  the  train. 

As  soon  as  I  saw  her  I  said,  "My  dear  Katy,  you 
are  no  longer  the  little  Katy  I  said  good-bye  to  six 
mtrnths  ago,  for  you  have  changed;  and  changed  into  a 
beautiful  little  woman. 


816 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


i'.  -'ill  > 


She  blushed  crimson  at  the  warm  reception  I  gave 
her,  saying  she  was  so  glad  I  had  received  the  letter  in 
time  to  meet  her  at  the  train,  for  she  heard  that  Chris 
was  away  on  a  business  trip,  and  the  very  thought  of 
arriving  in  Toronto  near  midnight  alone  had  made  her 
quite  nervous,  and  had  almost  spoiled  her  trip.  I 
reaUzed  at  once  that  conditions  had  changed,  for  in 
my  absence  Katy  had  been  transformed  into  a  stylishly 
dressed  young  lady.  She  wore  a  right-fitdng  tailor- 
made  broadcloth  suit  of  silver  gray;  her  hair  was  done 
up  in  a  most  becoming  manner,  and  you  could  just 
catch  a  glimpse  of  its  golden  brown  shading  from  be- 
neath the  wide-brimmed  Devonshire  hat,  with  long 
drooping  ostrich  plumes,  and  flowing  veil  reaching  to 
her  waist,  and  ndiich  she  wore  with  tudi  becoming 
grace. 

I  was  almost  speechless  at  the  transformation  which 
had  taken  place  in  her  appearance  in  so  short  a  rime, 
but  thought  her  the  most  bewitching  little  womam  my 
eyes  had  ever  rested  on.  But  I  tocm  discovered  that 
though  Katy  had  changed  in  outward  appearance,  the 
change  had  not  sunk  very  deeply,  for  the  very  first 
question  she  asked  me  in  her  usual  ingenuous  way,  as 
we  sat  together  in  the  carriage,  was: 

"Now  Jack,  you  have  been  looking  at  me  for  scHne 
time,  and  have  not  said  very  much.  Now,  honest,  do 
you  like  the  way  I  am  dreswd?  and  the  way  I  have 
my  hair  done  up?" 

"Why,  my  dear  Katy,"  I  replied,  "I  think  you  look 
perfectly  charming;  the  last  rime  I  saw  you  I  was 
looking  at  a  very  pretty  and  extremely  tidy  litde  girl. 
But  now  I  see  you  as  a  most  beautiful  and  becomingly 


I  TELL  KATY  MY  GREAT  SECRET  817 

dressed  young  lady;  and  if  you  want  my  honest  opinioiu 
1  certainly  thmk  you  look  most  charming." 
ur^^f^^  7**      wreathed  in  smiles  as  she  replied, 
Jack,  It  makes  me  feel  very  happy  to  hear  you  say 
that,  for  I  was  terribly  afraid  you  would  not  like  me 
dressed  as  a  young  lady.    But  you  know,  Jack,  I 
had  to  make  the  change  sooner  or  later,  for  I  am  getting 
older  aU  the  time,  and  mother  thought  I  should  make  it 
now,  and  get  used  to  it  while  on  this  trip  to  Toronto  " 
It  pleased  me  to  hear  Katy  talk  in  the  same  un- 
affected,  sincere  manner  that  had  ahroys  been  her  chief 
charm  in  my  estimation. 

When  we  arrived  at  Chris's  home,  Mary  appeared 
to  be  to  see  us,  and  had  a  nice  room  prepared  and 
ready  for  Katy's  reception.  We  sat  chatting  in  die 
sitting-room  until  quite  late.  But  we  had  not  been 
talfang  very  long  before  Mary  began  to  criticise  Katy's 
outfit,  and  make  suggestions  for  alterations  in  Katy's 
dress.  But  much  to  Mary's  chagrin,  I  said,  "Katy,  if 
I  were  you  I  would  not  alter  a  stitch;  for  I  think  die 
whole  outf  t  looks  fine." 

"If  that  is  your  honest  opinion.  Jack,"  said  Katy, 
I  certainly  will  not  make  any  alterations  in  my  dresses, 
tor  your  opmion  exactiy  coincides  with  mother's.  But 
I  have  9omt  other  very  nice  tilings  in  my  trunk,  and 
If  you  wiU  come  up  to-monow  night,  I  will  show  you 
all  my  dresses;  and  I  hope  you  will  like  the  odiers  as 
well  as  you  do  my  traveUng  suit." 

Mary,  "the  very  idea 
'•f  invitmg  Jack  up  to  see  your  clothes!  Are  you  not 
•  V  lie  that  rt  IS  not  customary  for  a  young  eirf  to  boast 
->i  ner  dothci,  especially  to  young  men?"  ' 


!»., . 


818        THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

"I  am  certainly  not  trying  to  boast  of  my  clothes 
or  anything  else,"  said  Katy;  "it  just  seems  to  please 
him,  and  I  am  very  sure  diat  it  pleases  me  to  know 
that  Jack  likes  my  things,  for  I  would  rather  please  him 
dian  anybody  else." 

"My,"  said  Mary.  "You  are  incorrigible!  What 
would  your  mother  say  if  she  heard  you  ulking  in  that 
way? 

I  answered  for  Katy  by  saying,  "Mary,  do  you 
know  it  would  be  a  mi^ty  good  thing  if  all  the  girls, 
yes,  and  all  the  women  that  one  comes  in  contact 
with,  were  one-half  as  ingenuous,  honesty  and  sincere 
as  Katy  is?  If  such  a  thing  were  possible,  what  a 
different  world  this  would  be  to  live  in!  Bye  the  bye, 
it  is  nearly  midnight,  and  I  must  be  going;  but  I  will 
be  up  to-morrow  night,  Katy,  to  see  all  your  nice 
things." 

I  did  not  wait  until  the  evening,  but  drove  up  m 
the  afternoon  and  invited  Katy  out  for  a  drive.  When 
we  got  outside  the  city  and  were  traveling  along  a  nice 
piece  of  road,  I  allowed  the  horses  to  jog  along  quietly, 
whilst  we  ulked  about  the  different  things  which  had 
happened  since  we  last  met.  At  last  I  said,  "Do  you 
know,  Katy,  that  I  have  a  great  secret— one  that  I 
have  kept  to  myself  for  a  long  time?  But  I  think  I 
will  now  tell  it  to  you.  The  fact  is,  Katy,  I  have  never 
really  regained  my  health  since  I  met  with  the  yachting 
accident  on  the  lake.  I  do  not  seem  tc  have  the  same 
amount  of  energy  or  ambition,  nor  anything  Uke  the 
same  amount  of  grip  on  life  that  I  used  to  have;  so 
I  have  decided  to  drop  business  for  a  wfaik^  leaving 
Harry  Haig  to  take  my  place  in  my  absence,  and  go 


I  TELL  KATY  MY  GREAT  SECRET  810 

and  Uve  in  the  woods  on  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Supe- 
iior  for  a  whUe.  I  am  told  by  one  who  has  tried  it 
that  if  I  do  this,  and  hve  the  simple  life  with  the  trappers 
and  Indians  for  a  year  or  two,  I  am  sure  to  regain  my 
strength  and  get  a  new  lease  on  life.  What  do  you 
thmk  of  the  plan,  Katy?" 

She  Hstened  very  intently  to  every  word  I  uttered, 
but  did  not  say  anything  for  some  time;  but  I  could 
sec  that  her  heart  was  touched,  for  her  eyes  were  brim- 
ming over  with  tears.  After  a  little  struggle  she  puUed 
herself  together  and  said,  "Jack,  I  have  known  this 
all  along;  I  could  read  it  between  the  lines  of  your 

saw  you  at  the 

sution  last  ni^t.   I  am  afraid  you  wiU  have  to  put 
up  with  a  lot  of  hardship,  and  perhaps  suffering.  But 
If  you  are  convinced  it  will  produce  the  results  you  think 
It  will,  I  should  say  go  by  all  means;  for  your  health  is 
worth  more  than  all  the  money  in  the  world.   I  will 
mm  you  more  than  I  can  tell  you;  but  I  will  pray  for 
you  all  the  time  you  are  away,  and  will  write  you  reg- 
ularly; that  IS,  if  you  can  get  my  letters  in  that  great 
wilderness;  and  I  want  you  to  write  me  every  chance 
that  you  get,  for  I  wiU  be  very  anxious  about  you  aU  the 
tune  you  are  away." 

"Katy,"  I  said,  "you  have  spoken  like  the  sensible 
ntUewomanlahraystookyoutobc.  NowIamfuUy 
"solved  to  go,  and  get  weU,  and  by  God's  help  I 

,  We  then  headed  the  horses  for  home,  and  arrived 
m  time  for  supper.  Mary  opened  the  door  for  us,  but 
did  not  invite  me  in  nor  ask  me  to  remain  for  supper, 
but  «mply  walked  back  into  the  front  room  ind 


S20 


THE  BfAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


curling  up  on  the  sofa  continued  reading  her  book. 
Katy  noticed  the  slight  Mary  had  subjected  me  to  by 
not  inviting  me  to  stay  for  supper,  and  not  even  inviting 
me  back  to  8pen4  ♦he  evening  with  them.   But  I  toU 
Katy  not  to  think  anything  of  it,  for  I  was  coming  up 
anyway  to  see  her— and  not  Mary.    Subsequently  I 
discovered,  but  not  until  I  had  returned  from  the 
Northwest,  that  Mary  had  picked  out  a  young  man 
belonging  to  the  more  fashionable  set  of  her  acquaint- 
ances, and  was  doing  her  utmost  to  win  him  for  Katy. 
He  was  fairly  good  looking,  and  die  son  of  a  very 
wealthy  man— one  of  Toronto's  leading  merchants; 
Fred  Warner- for  that  was  hi;8  name— having  been 
bom  with  a  silver  spoon  in  his  mouth,  did  not  see  the 
necessity  of  exerting  himself,  and  did  not,  therefore  he 
lived  the  life  of  the  idle  rich  young  men  with  whom  he 
associated;  but  was  generally  looked  upon  as  a  con- 
temptible cad  by  the  young  business  men  of  the 

As  I  was  saying  good-bye  to  Katy,  she  said,  **  Be 
sure  and  come  up  early  this  evening.  Jack,  for  I  will  be 
looking  for  you!"  but  I  noticed  that  the  invitation  was 
not  seconded  by  Mary.  She  simply  touched  my  hand 
with  the  tips  of  her  fingers,  saying,  "Bye-bye,"  and 
walked  back  into  the  house. 

On  returning  to  the  house  that  evening  I  was 
received  by  Katy  at  the  door,  and  as  I  entered  Katy 
said,  "Jack,  we  have  another  visitor  to-night,  a  Mr. 
Fred  Warner.  But  perhaps  you  know  him?  Maty 
says  he  is  one  of  the  finest  young  men  in  the  dtyl" 

"Yes,  Katy,"  I  replied,  "I  know  him  very  Well." 

As  we  entered  the  parlor,  Fred  Warner,  without  ris- 


I  TELL  EATY  MY  GBEAT  SECP^  m 

ing  from  his  chair  said  with  a  mon  pronounced  Cockney 
accent,  "Auh!  Mr.  Arling!  glad  to  see  you,--8lad 
see  you  .ndeed.  Working  hard  as  usual,  llS^pose. 
Ihey  tell  me  you  are  a  most  indefatigable  worker: 
but  It  mint  be  a  terrible  bore  to  have  to  work  a.  '  -  ' 
as  you  do?" 

.  'T^'"  ^  ""P^'  "work  must  be  a  terrible  bore  - 
that  IS,  if  you  are  not  accustomed  to  it.  I  am  very 
well  acquainted  with  your  good  father-he  is  a  great 
worker.  He  and  I  are  of  the  same  opinion-we  both 
like  work,  and  take  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  out  of 
bunness  I  have  had  to  work  since  I  was  fourteen 
years  old,  and  further,  if  I  considered  it  a  bore  and 
neglected  my  business,  I  am  afraid  that  I  would  aeon 
De  without  a  business  to  bore  me." 

"V^  clever,  very  clever  indeed,  Mr.  Arling.  You 
»e  ataost  a.  good  a  preacher  as  my  father,"  he  replied, 
with  a  supercilious  smile  on  his  face. 

Mary  did  not  like  the  trend  of  the  conversarion; 
her  face  was  quite  flushed;  she  was  certainly  perturbed 
rf  aot  angry,  and  said,  "You  must  remember,  Jack,' 
tt«  perrons  of  mdependent  means  do  not  require  to 

.  shouldn't  they,  my  dear  Maiy,"  I  repKed. 

Ihe  more  means  a  man  possesses,  the  greater  be- 
comes his  responsibilities.  And  as  a  faithful  steward, 
he  li  imder  obh^tions  to  conserve  and  use  those  means 
by  performmg  his  duty  to  society  and  mankind  by 
hejp«ng  those  who  are  not  quite  as  fortunate  as  him- 

Of  course  Katy  knew  nothing  of  Fred  Warner,  and 
■aid  quite  innocently,  "I  perfectly  agree  with  all  Jack 


<; 


KffBi 


ait        THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

haitaid;  and  hardly  know  which  to  do»  pity  or  detpiM  a 
lazy  man." 

In  a  short  time  Fred  Warner  excused  himself  by 
saying  he  had  another  call  to  make  that  evening,  and 
left.  Mary  was  quite  angry,  fearing  Fred  Warner 
would  never  come  back  again,  and  soon  retired,  szying 
that  she  was  suffering  with  a  very  bad  headache. 

After  Mary  had  retired,  Katy  said,  "Now  Jack,  I 
will  show  you  my  new  dresses."  She  opened  her  tnmk, 
taking  them  out  one  at  a  time  with  great  care  until  I 
had  seen  them  all.  With  a  little  consdout  smile  on 
her  face,  savoring  of  pardonable  pride,  she  asked  me 
how  I  liked  them.  Of  course  I  told  her  I  thought  them 
beautiful,  and  that  the  most  perfect  taste  had  been 
exercised  in  their  selection,  and  added,  "Do  you  know, 
KaQr,  I  think  everydiing  you  possess  most  diarming, 
and  in  my  eyes  is  made  more  beautiful  dmply  from  the 
tzct  that  it  is  owned  by  you.  I  admire  not  only  what 
you  wear,  but  I  admire  yourself;  and  have  admired 
you  from  the  very  first  day  I  met  you.  My  admira- 
tion has  now  turned  into  love,  for  I  love  you  very  dearly, 
and  Mint  day  I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  be  my  wife, 
but  not  now.  For  I  do  not  think  it  fair  to  ask  yoa  to 
engage  yourself  to  me  under  existing  circumstances, 
for  several  reasons.  In  the  first  place  I  am  going  into 
the  wilderness  for  a  long  time;  and  the  life  I  will  lead 
there  will  be  full  of  dang«frs,->and  I  may  never  come 
back;  in  the  next  phce,  you  are  now  a  young  lady,  and 
y<m  win  meet  at  great  many  yoiu%  men;  you  know  you 
have  not  met  with  many  so  far,  and  it  is  post  hie  you 
may  meet  with  one  that  you  think  would  make  a  more 
desirable  life  companion  than  myself— one  whom  you 


I  TELL  KATY  MY  GREAT  SECRET  88S 

sincerely  loved.  He  of  course  would  be  the  right  man 
for  you  to  many,  for  much  as  I  love  you,  I  would  not 
WMt  you  to  be  my  wife  unless  I  was  absolutely  sure  I 
im  toved  in  return.  These  are  the  reasons  why  I 
think  It  would  be  wise  to  leave  the  matter  open  until 
I  return  from  the  North  Woods.  But  Katy,  there  is 
one  thing  I  want  you  to  promise  me;  that  is,  that  you 
will  not  allow  anyone  to  influence  you,  or  force  you  to 
accept  the  advances  of  any  man,  no  matter  who  he  is, 
that  your  heart  telb  you  you  do  not  love." 

Katy  did  not  reply  for  some  time,  but  I  could  see 
by  her  deep  breathing  and  tear-filled  eyes  that  she 
was  laboring  under  a  heavy  mental  strain. 

But  at  last  she  said,  "Jack,  I  appreciate  all  you  have 
•aid,  for  It  It  all  very  true;  I  have  not  met  many  young 
men.  In  fact  you  are  the  only  one  I  have  ever  asso- 
ciated with,  and  you  and  I  have  been  like  chums.  I 
really  dunk  a  great  deal  of  you,  more  tiian  I  would  like 
to  say;  but  you  are  perfectly  right;  personally  I 
wwiW  not  hke  to  be  engaged  just  yet,  for  I  am  only 
eighteen,  and  you  are  twenty-four.   But  you  can 
rest  content  tiiat  I  wiU  not  under  any  drciunstance, 
not  even  at  the  command  of  my  father  and  mother, 
engage  myself  to  any  man  that  I  do  not  love.    But  I 
iwwJd  like  you  to  write  me  as  often  as  you  can  while 
you  are  away,  for  I  will  be  very  anxious  about  you 
until  you  return;  and  if  God  spares  you,— and  I  am 
sure  He  will,— come  and  see  me  as  soon  as  you  get  back. 
In  the  meantime  let  us  keep  up  the  delightful  cor- 
respondence which  has  given  such  pleasure  to  botii 
«  ui. 

At  I  wai  leaving,  I  did  what  I  had  never  done  before; 


814        THE  MAKmC  OF  A  CANADIAN 


I  put  my  arm  round  her  waist  and  drew  her  close  to  my 
breast  and  kissed  her  for  the  first  time,  and  the  kitted 
me  in  return,  and  taid,  *'Go  now»  Jack,  and  get  f^l 
well.  Come  back  at  toon  as  you  can,  for  I  will  be 
thinking  about  you,  and  praying  for  you  all  the  time 
you  are  away." 


Lem  had  camped  near  the  diore  in  a  beautifully  rfieltered  spot 

Set  pagt  sag 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

LIFE  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS 

On  my  arr  il  from  Chicago,  I  had  fully  made  up 
my  mind  to  go  to  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior.  I 
«iued  on  a  particular  friend  of  mine,  Mr.  James  Ryan 
^  i»iii»--«Hninonly  called  "Jimmy"  by  his  friends. 
He  wa,  the  tenior  partner  of  the  firm  of  Jame.  Ryan 

r  ^•'^  in 

La  .da  We  were  very  close  friends.  I  addressed 
hun  a.  Jimmy"  and  he  called  me  "Jack."  He  in- 
^  me  at  once  into  his  office  to  smoke  a  cigar  with 

As  soon  as  we  were  leatcd  I  opened  the  conversa- 
tion by  saymg,  "Jimmv,  you  know  that  ever  since  I 
vas  pulled  out  of  the  w?ter  or  dead  at  the  time  of  the 
accident,  I  h.  c    ....  anything  but  well, 

good  health,  and  cannot  stand  the  slightest  en  nap. 
which  only  used  to  give  me  plea««e.  So  I  have  .naoe 
up  my  mmd,  after  consulting  with  a  friend  who  has 
passed  through  a  similar  experierre,  to  do  whar  he  die?, 

^  to  Ae  North  Woods  of  Lake  Superior,  and  rough  it 
with  the  trappers  and  Indians  untit  I  get  bette^r  die, 

penned  up  m  an  oih  :e.    But  you  knov.  I  can't  remain 
must  be  active!  for  an  idle  life  has  no  charms 
828 


826 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


for  me— I  am  not  built  that  way.  I  have  always  lived 
an  active  life,  and  must  be  doing  something  all  the 
time  to  keep  my  mind  employed.  And  in  thinking  the 
matter  over,  it  struck  me  that  I  might  help  mytelf 
and  help  you  at  the  same  time,  if  I  was  to  turn  my 
attention  to  the  buying  of  raw  skins  from  the  trappers 
and  Indians,  for  you  are  aware  that  I  have  had  two 
years'  experience  in  the  fur  trade.  If  I  succeeded  in 
this  enterprise,  I  could  have  the  skins  brought  to  some 
convenient  point  on  the  north  shore,  and  you  could 
have  your  trading  schooner  call  for  them  from  time 
to  time.   What  do  you  think  of  the  scheme?" 

"Why,  Jack,  my  boy,  I  think  it  fine,"  he  replied, 
"for  if  I  was  to  hunt  Canada  over  I  could  not  find  a 
chap  more  suiuble,  nor  better  equipped  for  the  job 
than  yourself.  I  am  delighted  with  the  proposition,  and 
would  suggest  that  you  come  here  every  day  for  an 
hour  or  two,  so  that  I  can  thoroughly  post  you 
up  on  values,  and  give  you  all  the  information  you 
need.   I  will  also  appoint  you  my  buyer  for  all  of  that 
region.  The  schooner  will  call  every  two  months  and 
provide  you  with  supplies.   You  will  find  out  as  you 
go  on  what  you  need,  and  by  giving  your  order  to  the 
captain  in  writing,  addressed  to  me  personally,  I  will 
see  to  it  that  your  orders  are  filled  to  die  letter.  The 
schooner  will  leave  for  CoUingwood  just  three  weeks 
frmn  to-day,  so  we  will  start  in  at  once  and  purchase  a 
complete  outfit  for  you,  for  I  have  been  all  through 
that  country  a  number  of  times,  and  know  exactly 
what  you  want." 

I  started  in  the  very  next  day  for  my  first  lesson  in 
raw  furt— feiwral  infmnnatioii  and  instructiMis.  Of 


UPE  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS  9n 

course  I  did  not  require  very  much  posting,  for  I  had 
been  in  the  hat  and  fur  trade  with  Glassman  &  Com- 
pany for  two  years,  so  that  all  I  needed  was  values  on 
raw  ikins,  as  I  was  well  up  in  quality.  Jimmy  be- 
came quite  enthusiastic  over  the  enterprise,  and  be- 
tween us  we  purchased  a  mighty  fine  outfit— dothing 
for  all  seasons,  for  Jimmy  knew  what  that  rigorous 
climate  demanded.  He  had  a  magnificent  fur  coat 
and  cap  made  for  me  in  his  own  establishment;  he 
also  sent  to  St.  Regis,  an  Indian  village,  and  had  the 
chief  select  a  couple  of  pairs  of  very  fine  buckskin 
moccasins  and  a  splendid  pair  of  snow-shoes. 

When  the  wardrobe  was  ccnipleted  we  purchased 
a  first-dass  rifle,  a  double-barreled  shotgun,  with  a 
supply  of  ammunition  large  enough  to  last  for  a  long 
time.  When  we  completed  the  purchase  of  the  outfit, 
Jimmy  wrote  a  long  letter  to  an  old  trapper,  an  ac- 
quaintance of  his,  telling  him  my  story,  recommending 
me  to  him  in  the  strongest  terms,  instructing  him  to 
help  me  in  every  way  and  post  me  up  thoroughly  on 
everything. 

The  following  day,  after  I  parted  with  Katy,  I  took 
the  train  with  my  outfit  for  CoUingwood  and  boarded 
the  schooner  for  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  and 
arrived  at  our  destination  after  a  fairly  good  voyage  of 
ten  days. 

(X  course  we  had  to  make  several  calls  on  the  way, 

and  were  delayed  some  by  encountering  two  pretty 
stiff  storms,  but  we  weathered  them  without  damage 
and  made  the  harbor  safely. 

The  captain  and  I  were  standing  on  the  forward 
deck  one  fine  rooming,— in  the  early  fall  of  the  year,— 


828         THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

when  he  pointed  out  to  me  a  long  rocky  cape  which 
stretched  out  a  considerable  distance  from  the  main- 
land, teUing  me  that  right  behind  that  point  was  a  very 
snug  harbor,  consisting  of  a  bay  which  was  almost  land- 
locked, with  an  entrance  just  about  wide  enough  to 
sail  through;  the  bay  was  about  two  miles  long  and  a 
mile  wide;  and  no  matter  how  the  storm  raged  outside 
in  the  lake,  his  schooner  could  ride  safdy  at  anchor, 
once  innde  the  bay. 

We  paned  safdy  throu^  the  channel,  and  I  could 
see  a  man  standing  on  the  top  of  a  high  rock,  looking 
towards  the  entrance  to  the  bay,  evidently  waiting 
for  us  to  arrive.  At  the  foot  of  the  rock  there  was  a 
pair  of  horses  and  a  praurie  schooner.  Tlw  h«nes 
were  evidently  quiet,  for  they  were  not  even  tethered 
to  a  tree,  but  were  browsing  on  ^  ^ 

hanging  branches  of  trees. 

The  captain  saw  the  man  suid  his  outfit  first;  and 
pointing  him  out  to  me  said,  "TTicre  strads  Lem  Hop- 
kins, as  decent  and  honest  a  sold  m  you  wH  find  in  all 
diis  North  country." 

I  had  told  the  captain  of  my  friendship  for  Jimmy 
Ryan,  and  that  he  had  given  me  a  letter  to  Lem  Hop- 
kins, and  I  was  mighty  glad  to  find  him  waiting  for  me 
at  the  landing;  but  the  captiMi  said  thb  was  noditng 
new,  for  Lem  nevar  amaad  hmm  on  hand  when  the 
sdMX>ner  arrived,  for  every  trapper  in  the  region  in- 
trusted his  skins  and  ordaia  to  Lem  to  dabver  them 
to  him  on  his  arrival. 

The  captain  maneuvered  his  schooCKr  until  he 
reached  the  proper  awboraga  and  fastenad  her  up  to 
tlK  buy  kmy  wteeh  he  had  ancborad  dm  mm  Mne 


LIFE  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS 


889 


before.  We  then  got  into  the  schooner's  big  yawl, 
which  had  been  trailing  at  her  stem,  and  the  sailors 
rowed  us  to  the  shore;  as  soon  as  we  landed  the  captain 
lent  the  yawl  back  for  my  outfit,  after  taking  on  board 
lome  bundles  which  Lem  Hopkint  deliverad  to  him. 

When  the  yawl  returned  with  my  outfit,  and  before 
leaving,  the  captain  told  me  that  as  it  was  getting  late 
in  the  season, — for  the  ice  was  beginning  to  form, — he 
would  hardly  be  able  to  make  another  trip  until  spring, 
but  if  the  harbor  kept  open  to  look  out  for  him  in  about 
sixty  days;  for  if  the  weather  permitted  he  would 
surely  come.  Bidding  Lem  and  me  good-bye,  he  and 
his  men  went  back  to  the  schooner,  and  we  watched 
her  set  sail  for  home. 

I  must  say  I  felt  a  bit  lonely  as  I  saw  the  schooner 
sailing  away,  and  leaving  me  bdiind  in  the  wilderness. 

Lem  had  camped  near  the  shore  in  a  beautifully 
sheltered  spot,  protected  on  one  side  by  high  rocks 
which  were  completely  covered  with  moss,  and  on  the 
odur  side  by  forest  trees.   The  horses  were  now  teth- 
Topta  fastmed  to  die  tree  trunks,  and 
were  peacefully  grazing,  having  a  fine  feed  of  grass,  for 
It  was  most  luxuriant  at  this  camp.   It  was  reaUy  a 
delightful  spot,  just  as  nature  had  formed  it,— a  most 
beautiful  bower  in  the  primitive  forest.    Lem  and  I 
•at  down  lacing  the  camp  fire,  but  not  for  the  last  time 
by  any  means,— the  only  sounds  to  break  the  silence 
bemg  the  singing  of  the  kettle  suspended  over  the 
bummg  logs,  and  our  voices,  as  we  chatted  together 
for  the  first  time  in  the  great  North  Woods,  smoking 
«w  i»pes  in  front  of  our  own  camp  fire. 

Ltm  and  I  took  to  each  other  at  once,  soon  becom- 


830 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


ing  fast  friends,  and  for  nearly  two  years  were  insep- 
arable companions,  in  fair  weather  as  well  as  foul. 
He  knew  every  spot  in  that  great  wildemen,  uid  wai 
juft  at  much  at  home  wandering  through  the  trackless 
forests  of  pine,  birch,  elm,  and  oak— forests  which  liad 
never  been  injured  by  the  hand  of  man,  just  as  they 
were  designed  by  the  great  Architect  of  the  universe, 
and  had  weathered  the  storms  of  untold  jreart— as  I 
would  be  walking  through  the  streets  of  Toronto. 

Lem  was  a  fine  fellow,  honest  to  a  fault,  simple,  and 
at  times  childlike  in  his  actions;  but  when  circum- 
stances demanded  a  show  of  courage  he  was  as  brave 
as  a  lion.  The  only  book  he  carried  with  him  on  his 
many  tramps  through  the  forest  was  a  weU-wom  pocket 
Testament,  which  he  read  every  evening  when  the 
day's  journey  was  over.  This  he  never  omitted,  and 
just  before  turning  in  for  the  night  would  reverently 
kneel  and  offer  up  a  short  but  fervent  prayer,  thanking 
God  for  His  care  over  him  during  the  day,  and  ask  for 
His  protection  during  the  night.  He  was  a  devout  and 
deeply  idipous  man;  some  <A  his  views  on  theology 
would  perhaps  bring  a  smile  to  the  faces  of  scientific 
theologians,  but  it  would  be  well  for  them  did  they 
possess  one  tithe  of  the  sincere,  childlike  faith,  and 
absolute  trust  and  confidence  in  God,  which  was  Ae 
great  comfort  and  solace  of  Lem's  simple  life.  We 
used  ro  nt  in  frwit  of  our  camp  fire  every  evening,  chat- 
ting and  smoking  our  pipes,  until  nine  or  ten  o'clock, 
relating  our  different  experiences — and  they  were  as 
opposite  as  the  poles.  He  had  been  bom  and  brought 
up  in  the  wilderness,  and  knew  no  other  life;  while  I 
had  lived  in  cities.  He  >rould  thratw  out  Utde  feelers 


[LIVE  IN  TBB  NORIH  WOODS  881 

of  questions,  until  he  got  me  into  a  reminiscent  mood, 
and  would  dt  by  the  hour  listening  intently  to  every 
word,  at  I  described  my  life  in  the  dtiet  of  Montreal, 
Toronto,  New  York,  Chicago  and  other  cities  in  which 
I  had  lived.  After  spending  an  evening  in  this  way,  I 
could  hear  him  for  a  long  time  afterwards,— in  thinking 
it  an  over,— saying  to  himself,  "Wonderful!  Wonder- 
ful!** He  was  to  grateful  to  me  for  all  the  information 
I  imparted  to  him  that  he  tried  to  show  it  in  every  act 
his  life. 

When  we  were  ready  to  turn  in  and  roll  up  in  our 
blankets  for  the  night  he  would  say,  "I  have  fixed  up 
a  little  place  for  you  to  sleep  in  over  here,"  and  I  would 
find  he  had  picked  out  for  my  comfort  the  mott  shel- 
tered spot  to  rest  in,  and  had  carried  in  armsful  of  dried 
grass  ;ind  leaves,  making  me  a  bed  that  anyone  might 
envy. 

Jimmy  Ryan  had  told  him  in  the  letter  he  had 
written  him  that  I  had  met  with  a  great  accident,  and 
was  not  at  all  well,  and  strongly  urged  him  to  take  good 
care  of  me,  which  he  certainly  did,  for  he  watched  over 
me  like  a  mother  would  watch  over  her  child,  and  was 
almost  as  tender  In  his  care  of  me.  I  frequently  noticed 
him  getting  up  very  stealthily  in  the  morning,  just  at 
daybreak,  stealing  out,  fearing  to  wake  .  me,  mending 
the  camp  fire,  watering  the  horses,  anr  doing  all  the 
chores  round  the  camp,  as  well  as  preparing  the  break- 
fast; when  all  was  finished  he  would  come  over  to 
where  I  was  sleeping  and  very  gently  touch  me  on  the 
shoulder  to  wake  me  up,  telling  me  that  breakfast  was 
ready.  Of  course  we  had  been  on  the  move  ever  since 
my  arrival,  rarely  camping  more  than  two  or  three  days 


IBS  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


in  one  place.  Lem  knew  every  good  camping  ground 
in  that  vast  wilderness,  and  I  noticed  we  always 
camped  on  the  banks  of  a  running  stream,  small  river, 
or  lake,  so  that  the  first  thing  to  do  in  the  morning  was 
to  go  down  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  strip,  and  take  a 
header  right  in.  My!  how  I  did  enjoy  those  morning 
baths  in  the  cool,  clean,  sparkling  water,  clear  as 
crystal,  the  most  invigoratmg  and  refreshing  baths  I 
ever  enjoyed.  When  I  bad  had  enough  I  would  come 
out  and  have  a  vigorous  rub  with  a  coarse  Turkish 
towel,  which  made  me  feel  like  a  new  man,  and  always 
ready  for  one  of  Lem's  fine  breakfasts  of  fresh  fish, 
bacon,  and  flapjacks,  all  of  which  Lem  could  cook  to  a 
turn;  so  that  every  mouthful  tasted  good,  flavored  by 
the  pine  woods  and  clear  atmosphere,  which  was  a 
wonderful  tonic,  and  gave  me  such  a  colossal  appetite 
that  I  hardly  knew  myself. 

I  had  only  been  in  the  woods  four  weeks  when  I 
discovered  that  the  blood  was  coursing  tiiroi^^  my 
veins  with  a  vigor  I  had  been  a  stranger  to  for  a  long 
time;  I  had  also  accumulated  a  coat  of  tan  on  my  face, 
neck  and  hands  that  would  do  justice, to  an  Indian; 
the  old  languid  feeling  had  passed  away,  making  me 
again  strong  and  fit.  The  first  week  I  traveled  through 
the  woods  with  Lem  I  felt  Uke  sitting  in  the  wagpn— 
when  we  used  it — and  that  is  when  we  traveled  be- 
tween Lem's  log  shack  and  the  landing;  but  the  best 
part  of  the  time  we  rode  horseback  or  walked.  I 
therefore  did  a  great  deal  of  walking;  but  Lem  was  very 
ccmsiderate,  for  he  usually  walked  with  a  long  stride 
and  at  a  good  pace;  but  for  a  long  time  after  I  arrived 
he  cut  the  gait  down,  suiting  it  to  my  ability  to  keep  up. 


LIFE  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS 

But  four  weeks  in  the  North  Woods  had  wrought 
wonders.  I  was  now  able  to  hold  my  own  with  Lem,  and 
could  walk  with  a  good  swinging  gait,  and  Lem  was  at 
last  able  to  let  himself  out  without  any  fear  as  to  my 
ability  to  keep  up,   Lem's  traps  were  scattered  all 
through  the  woods,  and  along  the  banks  of  streams  and 
rivers.   To  visit  them  all  meant  a  tramp  of  sixty  miles 
to  make  the  rounds.   We  would  start  off  with  two 
horses,  but  if  luck  was  good,  by  the  end  of  two  days  we 
would  have  to  dismount  and  walk,  using  the  horses  as 
packs  to  carry  the  skins,  the  balance  of  the  journey 
being  made  on  foot.   When  the  snow  was  on  the  ground 
we  traveled  on  snow-shoes.   I  was  delighted  to  find 
that  I  could  keep  up  with  the  procession,  either  tramp- 
ing on  foot  or  on  snow-shoes,  without  being  a  hin- 
drance. 

We  had  just  returned  to  the  shack  after  tramping 
for  several  days,  making  the  rounds  of  the  traps;  and 
as  soon  as  we  arrived  at  the  shack,  Lem  said,  in  his 
usual  kind,  considerate  way— ahvays  looking  out  for 
my  comfort,  "Mr.  Arling,  we  have  had  quite  a  long 
tramp  to-day.  I  think  you  had  better  lie  down  for 
an  hour  or  two  before  supper,  and  take  a  good  rest." 

•*My  dear  Lem,"  I  replied,  "I  can  hardly  under- 
stand it  myself,  for  I  am  not  a  bit  tired.  I  feel  as  fit  as 
a  fiddle,  and  instead  of  lying  down,  I  am  going  off  to  the 
trout  stream  to  hook  a  good  mess  of  those  speckled 
beauties  which  we  saw  in  passing;  and  I  will  bring 
you  back  a  fine  feed  for  supper."  I  took  my  fishing 
rod,  tackle  and  basket,  and  surted  off  whistling  a  lively 
tmie;  and  f<M:  the  first  time  in  over  two  years  I  seemed 
to  have  the  $tmc  feeling  of  vigorous  life  coursing 


S84 


THE  1CAKIN6  OF  A  CANADIAN 


through  my  veins  which  I  had  alwayi  enjoyed  previou* 
to  the  yacht  accident. 

I  reached  the  itreain  an  hour  before  wmdonni,  and 
as  toon  at  I  made  a  cait,  I  had  one  of  those  goldetl 
tpeckled  trout  on  the  end  of  my  line,  landing  inside 
the  hour  as  pretty  a  mess  of  speckled  trout  as  I  ever 
saw  caught.  I  picked  up  my  catch  and  walked  back 
to  the  shack,  feeling  as  fit  at  I  ever  did  in  my  fife,  and 
at  hungry  at  a  bear.  I  handed  the  fith  to  Lem,  and  he 
ttarted  at  once  to  clean  and  fry  them  for  supper. 
Oh,  how  fine  they  did  taste,  and  how  I  did  enjoy  that 
supper! 

I  do  not  remember  ever  having  had  such  a  feeling 
of  intense  thankfuhiest,  and  gratitude  to  God,  at  I 
experienced  that  evening,  for  His  great  kindnett  in 
giving  me  a  new  lease  on  life  and  rettoring  to  me  the 
health  I  had  almost  lost. 

As  we  sat  in  front  of  the  camp  fire  that  evening  the 
silence  could  almost  be  felt,  the  air  was  cool  and  crisp, 
the  moon  at  the  full,  and  the  tky  almost  cloudless; 
the  moonlight  was  glinting  through  the  branches  of 
the  forest  trees  and  molding  them  into  the  most  fan- 
tastic shapes  and  forms.  A  quiet  stillness  pervaded 
the  great  forest;  now  and  then  the  silence  would  be 
broken  by  the  barking  of  a  fox,  or  the  yelp  of  a  wdf; 
otherwise  there  wat  a  caUn,  quiet,  peaceful  serenity 
that  could  noc  be  experienced  in  any  other  place  bui  in 
the  heart  of  a  dense  forest  wilderness,  where  the  voice 
of  man  was  rarely  heard. 

Both  Lem  and  I  were  wrapped  up  in  our  own 
thoughts,  not  uttering  a  word,  but  quietly  smoking 
our  pipes  and  absorbed  in  our  peaceful  mediutions, 


LIFE  m  THE  NOBTH  WOODS  88S 

both  of  us  feeling  that  a  certain  lupernatural  influence 
permeated  the  very  atmosphere  which  we  breathed, 
and  realized  that  we  were  in  the  presence  of  God. 

At  last  I  broke  the  silence  by  saying,  "Lem,  I  never 
felt  10  thankful,  nor  in  such  a  thankful  mood  as  I  am 
m  to-night;  I  am  so  much  better  in  health  that  I 
hardly  know  myself.  You  know,  Lem,  that  the  first 
week  I  was  here  I  could  hardly  stand  exertion  of  any 
Imid;  but  to-day  I  really  put  in  quite  a  strenuous  time 
or  It,  for  we  walked  a  mighty  long  distance;  and  when  I 
got  back  to  camp  from  the  last  leg  of  the  journey,  I 
felt  fit  enough  to  walk  to  the  trout  stream  and  back, 
putting  in  almost  two  hours,  busy  every  moment  either 
walking  or  catching  fish,  and  came  back  as  fresh  as 
when  I  surted;  I  certainly  never  in  all  my  life  felt 
better  dian  I  do  to-night." 

Lem  looked  mightily  pleased  to  hear  me  say  I  felt 
so  much  better,  and  said  in  his  own  crude  way,  "Mr. 
Arling,  I  knowed  you  was  a-feelin'  better,  fur  I  could 
see  the  improvement  coming  on  every  day  lately.  I 
hcv  made  your  case  a  perticilar  and  special  matter  of 
prayer,  ever  since  I  have  met  you,  for  I  know'd  you 
was  a-feelin*  badly.  The  Almighty  has  answered  the 
prayer,— as  I  know*d  He  would,  an'  now  you  are  better, 
let  us  thank  Him  for  it.  You  an*  me  will  jest  empha- 
me  that  fact  in  our  prayers  to-night,  and  give  the  good 
Lord  a  little  extra  thanks  for  answering  the  prayer  so 
quickly." 

From  that  time  on  my  recovery  progressed  with 
leaps  and  bounds,  for  I  never  had  as  much  as  a  headache 
all  the  time  I  lived  in  the  North  Woods. 

Shortly  after  my  arrival  I  told  Lem  I  would  buy 


888 


IbE  MAONG  OF  A  CANADIAN 


all  the  skins  he  accumulated  during  the  fall  and  winter, 
and  that  he  could  also  tell  all  the  trappers  and  Indians 
that  he  was  acquainted  with  that  I  would  purchase  all 
the  pelts,  skms,  and  hides  of  every  description  wUch 
tfa^  captnrad  dttring  the  faB  and  mam,  and  ptjr 
diem  cadb  for  them.  By  ^ome  mysterious  way,  known 
only  to  men  who  live  in  the  wilds,  the  word  was  passed 
along  from  one  trapper  to  another,  until  all  in  that 
vicinity  had  heard  of  it;  and  were  hard  at  work  getting 
togedier  a  large  quantity  oi  skint  ao  that  I  could  make 
a  good  shipment  on  the  adiooner  when  she  arrived  on 
her  first  trip  in  the  spring.  From  that  time  on  we  had 
occasional  visitors.  I  told  them  all  to  bring  in  their 
skins,  as  I  had  arranged  to  have  the  money  brought  up 
on  the  first  schooner  which  arrived  to  pay  for  diem. 
Lem  toM  them  I  was  a  great  friend  of  Jimmy  Ryan's, 
and  that  I  was  buying  die  skins  for  him.  He  also 
showed  them  Jimmy's  letter  to  him;  but  they  did  not 
need  this  evidence,  for  whatever  Lem  said  was  Gospel 
truth  to  them  for  they  believed  every  word  he  uttered. 
\^thout  an  aception  they  all  agreed  to  bring  in  die 
whole  of  their  catch,  and  have  them  on  the  shore  at  the 
landing  in  good  time  for  the  first  boat  that  called. 
Jimmy  told  me  before  I  left  to  try  to  get  all  the  deer- 
skins possible,  as  very  few  had  arrived  the  previous 
season,  and  there  was  a  great  demand  Ux  them. 

One  day  no  less  than  five  trappers  arrived  at  the 
shack,  all  coming  in  from  different  directions.  As  we 
sat  round  the  camp  fire  that  evening,  smoking  our 
pipes  and  chatting,  I  told  them  that  Jimmy  was  anxious 
to  get  as  many  deerskins  as  possible;  so  Lem  and  the 
trappers  had  a  great  palaver  whidi  lasted  until  after 


UFE  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS  m 

ten  o'clock  They  decided  between  them«elvci  to 
have  Mveral  big  deer  hunts  during  the  winter,  and 
iwwid  patf  the  word  along  and  make  sure  that  we 
JJoBld  hsYV  tt  Inn  twenty  hunters  in  the  party. 
They  abo  mappad  out  the  locafides  they  thought  bm 
AeforcsT*'*^      *^      thqr  knew  cveiy  runway  in 

After  the  preliminaries  were  decided  on  each  man 
promised  to  bring  one  or  two  horses,  with  all  neccssaiy 
appliances,  and  to  meet  for  the  fiiw  big  drive,  at  the 
ISlack  Rock,  on  the  first  day  of  December. 

The  next  morning  they  aU  left  for  their  several 
camps,  each  one  promising  to  send  word  to  two  or  three 
others,  and  to  meet  at  the  rendezvous  on  the  day  ap- 
pointed. Ai  this  was  the  hitter  part  of  October,  I 
only  had  five  weeks  to  wait  to  participate  an  my  first 
deer  hunt.  Lem  and  I  were  busy  every  day,  makinc 
the  rounds  of  the  traps,  and  hunting  and  fishing  as  we 
went  along;  as  soon  as  we  completed  the  mtyixui» 
ciicttit  It  was  dme  to  start  round  again. 

The  weather  was  intensely  cold,  but  we  were  well 
protected,  being  provided  with  an  abundance  of  warm 
clothmg,  as  well  as  fur  caps,  and  our  fur  coats  were  also 
Imed  with  fur  J  so  we  did  riot  suffer  much  on  account  of 
the  weather,  as  long  as  we  kept  moving,  for  our  lives 
were  spent  m  the  open,  and  we  had  become  inured  to 
the  ngors  of  that  Northern  climate.  The  bst  day  of 
November  Lem  and  I  started  off  early,  on  snow-shoes, 
to  make  the  twenty-five-mile  tramp  to  the  Black  Rock 
country.  The  horses  were  used  as  packs  and  loaded 
with  afl  our  traps.   We  were  anxious  to  arrive  at  our 
<ltstu»ti«i  by  evening  and  make  our  camp,  so  as  to 


888 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


be  ready  to  start  on  die  deer  hunt  the  next  morning. 
We  reached  the  rendezvous  early  in  the  evening,  with 
ample  time  to  put  up  our  tent  in  a  sheltered  spot  backed 
up  by  the  face  of  an  immense  perp'mdicular  rock,  and 
under  the  spreadmg  branches  of  great  forest  trees, 
which  formed  a  canopy  over  our  tent.  I  never  saw 
such  an  ideal  spot  for  a  camp.  The  whole  party  had 
arrived  by  seven  o'clock,  and  formed  quite  a  pictur- 
esque little  colony  or  village.  The  horses  were  all  well 
blanketed,  tethered  under  some  large  trees  after  being 
watered,  and  then  left  to  munch  their  com  and  hay 
protected  from  the  weather  by  the  overhanging  branches 
—which  were  covered  thick  with  snow,  forming  aLooost 
a  solid  and  unbroken  roof  over  their  heads. 

Large  camp  fires  were  kept  burning  all  through  the 
night,  being  attended  to  by  watchers,  who  kept  piling 
on  the  logs  as  fast  as  they  burned  low.  The  watchers 
were  changed  every  two  hours,  so  that  all  could  get  a 
good  sleep.  We  were  all  up  bright  and  early  next 
morning  for  breakfast;  then  we  tramped  off,  each  man 
carrying  his  own  rifle  and  ammunition.  The  snow 
was  about  a  foot  deep,  covered  with  a  strong  crust, 
preventing  our  snow-shoes  from  sinking  too  deeply, 
so  we  tramped  off  in  Indian  file  for  the  first  runway. 
Some  of  the  men  had  been  told  off  to  watch  the  camp 
and  have  a  good  supper  ready  for  us  when  we  returned. 

After  a  tramp  of  a  few  miles,  Lem  said,  "Mr. 
Arling,  I  will  take  you  to  a  fine  sheltered  spot  on  the 
runway;  and  as  soon  as  you  hear  the  dogs  giving  tongue, 
you  watch  out,  for  you  will  soon  see  a  deer  coming  from 
their  direction;  take  a  very  careful  aim  at  the  breast 
of  the  deer,  but  don't  shoot  until  he  g^ts  dose,— then 


LIFE  m  THE  NOBTH  WOODS 


880 


blaze  away.  If  you  happen  to  miss  him  I  wiU  be  about 
a  hundred  yards  further  up  along  the  runway,  and  I 
will  get  him." 

I  always  thought  I  held  a  good  grip  on  my  nerves, 
but  I  had  never  fired  a  rifle  at  a  deer.   I  sat  down  on 
the  snow,  but  did  not  have  long  to  wait  for  the  dogs 
soon  began  to  bellow  and  yowl.    I  looked  off  in  that 
direction  and  at  the  other  end  of  the  opening  in  the 
woods  I  saw  an  immense  buck,  just  bounding  through 
the  air,  coming  towards  me  with  lightning  speed.  I 
could  feel  every  nerve  in  my  body  quivering  with 
excitement,  and  felt  as  though  I  had  an  attack  of  ague, 
for  I  was  trembling  from  head  to  foot.    I  tried  my  level 
best  to  compose  myself,  and  raised  the  rifle  to  my 
shoulder,  getting  a  dead  bead  on  the  buck;  but  just  as 
I  was  going  to  fire,  I  could  see  the  barrel  of  the  rifle 
bobbing  up  and  down  in  a  most  erratic  manner,  and 
could  not  possibly  keepr  it  steady,  but  as  the  buck  was 
almost  opposite  me,  not  ten  yards  away,  I  fired, 
aiming  as  I  thought  right  at  his  breast,  but  he 
passed  me  like  a  streak  of  lightning,  and  I  do  not  sup- 
pose I  came  within  fifty  yards  of  him,  for  I  had  buck 
fever  and  had  it  bad. 

But  immediately  as  he  passed  I  heard  the  short, 
sharp  crack  of  Lem's  rifle,  and  saw  Lem  stepping  out 
of  the  woods  to  examine  the  deer,— for  Lem  was  not 
troubled  nith  buck  fever,— and  when  he  fired  it  was 
dollars  to  doughnuts  that  the  thing  he  fired  at  dropped. 

I  felt  very  much  chagrined  at  missing  the  deer,  but 
Lem  and  the  other  hunters  said  that  very  few  hunters 
ever  succeeded  in  making  a  hit  the  first  time  they  fired 
at  a  deer.   So  they  placed  me  at  another  point  on  the 


MO        THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

runway,  assuring  me  I  was  certain  to  do  better  the  next 
time.   Eariy  in  the  afternoon  I  heard  the  dogs  agam 
yelping,  and  making  a  great  howl;  but  this  time  I 
used  all  the  will  power  I  could  bring  to  my  command, 
and  waited,  but  did  not  have  to  wait  long,  for  I 
saw  at  once  the  cause  of  the  commotion  among  the 
dog»-tt  was  another  deer  flying  in  my  direction  with 
great  leaps  and  bounds.   I  gritted  my  teeth  together 
this  time,  to  keep  my  jaws  from  quivering,  and  raised 
the  rifle  to  my  shoulder  and  let  fly  just  as  he  made  a 
bound,  not  fifty  feet  from  where  I  was  standing.  Th« 
time  I  hit  him,  the  baU  striking  him  square  m  the 
shoulder,  and  he  dropped.   He  was  floundenng  m  the 
snow  when  Lem  came  running  up,  beating  the  dogs 
off,  and  showed  me  the  vital  spot  to  send  anotiier  ball 
into  him,  which  finished  him.   I  must  admit  tiiat  it 
gave  me  a  feeling  of  pride  to  know  diat  I  had  kilkd  a 
deer,  but  at  the  same  rime  a  feeling  of  regret  for  having 
killed  it— it  was  such  a  beautiful  specimen.    My  regrets 
soon  vanished  after  I  had  had  a  talk  with  Lem.  He 
said,  "Mr.  Arling,  if  we  were  killing  these  deer  just  for 
the  sake  of  the  sport  that  is  in  it,  every  man  in  our  party 
would  look  upon  himself  as  a  murderer.   But  we  are 
far  from  doing  that;  for  we  need  the  meat  for  food, 
and  the  skins  to  sell,  so  that  we  can  get  money  to  buy 
clothing,  flour,  and  all  other  tilings  we  require.  We 
never  hunt  for  the  pleasure  of  killing,  and  taking  Ufe 

And  in  all  my  hunting  experiences  from  that  day 
to  this,  I  have  never  killed  an  animal,  bird  or  fish  unless 
I  could  utilize  all  that  I  killed,  either  as  food  for  mysell 
at  others. 


LIFE  IN  THE  NOPaB  WOODS 


841 


Towards  sundown  we  found  that  we  had  killed  six 
deer,  as  the  first  day's  bag;  these  were  thrown  acroM 
the  backs  of  six  horses,  and  then  we  took  up  the  trail 
for  the  camp.  That  night  we  had  a  great  feast  of 
venison,  the  dogs  coming  in  for  their  share. 

We  remained  at  this  camp  for  several  days,  with 
good  success  every  day,  then  movmg  north  to  another 
about  twenty  miles  away,  where  we  bagged  twenty, 
five  more— and  a  fine  fat  lot  they  were,  with  hides  in 
fine  condition.  I  soon  became  a  skillful  deer  hunter, 
for  I  was  a  good  shot,  and  as  a  consequence  I  bagged' 
my  share. 

The  deer  were  all  taken  back  to  camp,  where  thqr 
were  skinned,  the  meat  prepared  by  being  frozen,  and 
divided  in  equal  shares  among  the  hunters,    I  re- 
ceiving my  share  with  the  rest.    A  good  many  car- 
caMei  were  given  to  a  large  camp  of  Indians  in  the 
vicinity  for  helping  us  in  the  skinning  and  handling  of 
the  meat;  not  a  pound  was  wasted.   The  hunt  lasted 
for  over  three  weeks,  and  when  we  got  back  to  Lem's 
cabin  there  was  over  one  hundred  skins  to  be  divided, 
each  hunter  receiving  a  skin  check  for  his  share; 
these  checks  to  be  cashed  when  the  schooner  arrived 
in  the  spring. 

We  had  several  deer  hunts  of  the  same  kind  during 
the  winter,  and  accumulated  over  three  hundred  hides. 
They  were  all  nicely  taken  off,  stretched,  and  dried. 

Lem  and  I  superintended  that  part  of  the  work,  so 
that  every  skin  would  be  in  prime  condition  for  ship- 
ment in  the  spring. 

One  hundred  miles  south  was  a  mining  camp  on 
the  lake  front;  the  mail  was  delivered  here  every  two 


S4t        THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

weeks.  I  had  written  several  letters  to  Katy  and^to 
tome  of  my  friends  in  Toronto,  as  well  as  to  Jimmy 
Ryan.  I  now  wrote  him  of  the  great  success  I  had  met 
with  in  getting  skins  of  almost  every  vanety— mmk, 
otter,  lynx,  a  few  black  bear,  a  large  number  of  coon, 
a  few  sable,  several  tliousand  muskrats  and  skunk  skuM, 
as  well  as  three  hundred  deer,  so  that  my  share  of  the 
proEts  would  amount  to  at  least  two  thousand  dollars. 

I  told  Jimmy  of  the  arrangements  I  had  made  with 
the  trappers  and  Indians,  also  sending  him  an  mven- 
tory  of  all  skins  received  and  on  hand  at  the  traie  of 
writing,  but  telling  him  the  quantity  would  be  greatly 
increased,  for  skins  were  coming  in  every  day;  and 
to  send  me  cash  by  first  schooner  to  cover  all  purchases, 
so  that  I  could  keep  faith  with  the  hunters. 

I  also  sent  him  a  large  order  for  all  kinds  of  sup- 
plies, which  I  had  taken  from  the  trappers.   I  had  sent 
out  word  to  all  my  friends,  both  trappers  and  Indians, 
to  send  me  in  orders  for  everytiiing  they  had  need  of, 
and  also  to  send  their  mail  to  our  shack;  and  promised 
to  forward  both  orders  and  letters  to  Shelby— a  mm- 
ing  camp-at  least  every  two  weeks,  and  have  Aem 
mailed  by  an  Indiaii  runner,  and  he  would  bnng  back 
the  return  mail   I  had  previously  written  to  the  postal 
authorities  at  Toronto  that  if  they  would  instruct  tl« 
Shelby  Post  Office  to  deliver  to  my  runner  all  mail  loi 
my  district,  I  would  see  that  tiie  letters  were  deUvere< 
promptly  and  without  cost  to  the  Government. 
they  very  gladly  agreed  to  do,  and  I  was  reaUy  th( 
Postmaster  for  the  wilderness. 

I  secured  the  services  of  a  fine  young  Indian  to  mak 
the  journey  every  two  weeks,  and  paid  him  at  the  rat 


LIFE  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS  848 

of  five  dollara  for  each  round  trip.  The  postal  au- 
thorities supplied  me  with  a  strong,  waterproof,  canvas 
mail  bag,  with  a  padlock,  and  two  keys,  the  post- 
master at  Shelby  keeping  one,  ard  I  the  other,  so  that 
the  bag  was  always  Iccked  in  transit. 

Before  very  long  our  cabin  looked  like  a  general 
post  office.  On  the  15th  and  30th  of  each  month, 
trappers  and  Indians  came  in  from  all  parts  to  mail 
their  letters  and  get  their  mail.  They  all  thought  this  a 
great  scheme,  and  o:ie  and  all  insisted  on  chipping  in 
and  paying  their  share  of  the  expense.  We  now  had 
regular  post  office  facilities  esublished,  regular  col- 
lections were  made  and  delivered  -^ery  two  weeks, 
instead  of  every  two  months  as  formerly. 

As  the  spring  approached  all  wzs  bustle  about  the 
camp,  trappers  and  Indians  coming  in  from  every  direc- 
tion with  the  balance  of  skins  they  had  on  hand,  and 
by  the  time  the  schooner  had  arrived,  all  were  chssi- 
fied  and  sorted  into  three  different  grades,  and  appraised 
by  Lem  and  mvself. 

Invoices  were  made  out  in  triplicate,  for  each 
hunto^s  skins,  one  invoice  to  go  with  the  goods,  one  for 
the  trapper,  and  one  for  myself;  the  skins  were  all  done 
up  in  bundles,  and  each  bale  marked  with  the  owner's 
number,  for  I  had  given  each  trapper  and  Indian  a 
number.  Everything  was  now  in  shipshape  and  there 
was  nothing  to  do  when  the  schooner  arrived  but  to 
put  die  bales  on  board  and  pay  each  trapper  and 
Indian  the  amount  of  his  invoice,  after  deducting  from 
his  bill  the  amount  he  owed  for  supplies. 

It  took  fifteen  thousand  dollars  to  liquidate  the 
amount  of  indebtedness  to  the  ttappers  and  Indians 


844        THE  MAKING  OV  A  CANADIAN 

for  skins  delivered.  Everything  was  done  fair  and 
abc-^board,  the  Indians  receiving  exactly  the  tame 
treat  ment  as  the  white  trapper^  to  that  every  man  of 
them  wai  weU  pleased  and  satisfied,  and  on  leaving 
shook  hands  with  me,  declaring  they  had  never  been 
treated  more  justly  than  I  had  treated  them,  and  all 

went  away  happy.  •  u- 

Lem  and  I  went  back  to  our  cabm— a  qmet  aibm 
now.  We  sat  down  in  front  of  our  camp  fire  to  read  the 
numerous  letters  deUvered  to  us  by  the  captam  of  the 

schooner.  ,     ,  ,       .  •■% 

"Mr.  Arling,"  said  Lem,  "if  I  had  always  been  paid 
the  honest  value  of  my  skins,  the  same  as  you  have  paid 
me  to-day,  I  would  now  be  worth  quite  a  ody  bit  of 
mon^,  and  so  would  all  the  other  trappers.  But  we 
have  been  badly  used  and  imposed  on  by  every  trader 
we  have  ever  had  any  dealings  with  up  to  this  time. 
These  sharks  have  all  gone  away  empty-hauB^ed  this 
season,  and  did  not  secure  a  single  pelt.  This  must 
certainly  have  taught  them  a  lesson,  that  honesty  is 
the  best  policy  ''cer  all.  You  have  made  many 
friends  since  yot  -  here;  and  every  man  jack  oi 
them,  from  now  o         just  swear  by  you." 

I  could  hardly  wait  for  Lem  to  get  through  with  hu 
talk,  I  was  so  anxious  to  get  at  my  letters.  There  wen 
three  letters  from  Katy,  and  one  from  Chris,  as  well  a; 
several  from  Jimmy  Ryan.  He  wrote  that  he  wa; 
delighted  with  the  results  of  my  work  in  the  Nortj 
Woods;  and  had  credited  my  account  up  to  date  witl 
three  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  as  mj 
share  of  the  profits  on  the  purchase  of  skins,  and  ex 
pected  that  thu  would  be  increased  considerably  whei 


IDE  IN  THE  NOBTB  WOODS  us 

an  the  returns  were  in.  When  I  had  gotten  through 
aU  due  part  of  the  mail,  I  took  Katy's  letters  out  of 
my  mside  breast  pocket,  and  read  them  comecutively. 
She  could  hardly  find  words  to  express  her  great  joy 

and  happiness  at  hearing  by  my  letters  of  the  won- 
derful improvement  in  my  health.    She  was  tre- 
mendously interested  in  reading  of  my  life  in  the  Noi  th 
Woods;  she  and  her  father  would  sit  together  in  the 
evening,  reading  my  letters  over  and  over  again,  and 
the  doctor  had  said  that  the  rapid  recovery  of  my 
health  which  I  had  experienced  by  residing  in  the 
North  Woods,  leading  the  strenuous  life  I  was  living 
in  the  open  all  the  time,  enduring  the  cold  and  hard- 
ships of  that  rigorous  climate,  had  been  a  great  revela- 
tion to  him;  and  that  on  my  return  he  was  going  to  get 
from  me  all  the  facts,  and  write  a  paper  for  the  medical 
society,  feeling  sure  it  would  open  their  eyes  and  give 
thm  smnething  of  value  to  think  about. 

At  the  end  of  her  letter  she  told  me  how  much  she 
missed  me,  but  not  to  think  of  returning  until  I  was 
sure  the  cure  was  permanent.  Then  told  me  all  the 
news  and  some  of  the  gossip  that  was  going  the  rounds 
at  home.  She  also  wrote  a  letter  to  Lem,  telling  him 
how  veiy  much  she  appreciated  his  kindness  to  me,  and 
sent  him  a  beautifully  bound  copy  of  the  Bible,  printed 
in  large  type,  also  a  handsome  bookmark  on  which 
was  inscribed  "To  Lem  Hopkins,  from  his  friend 
Katy." 

Lem's  face  was  a  study  when  I  handed  him  the 
Bible  from  Katy  with  her  little  letter.  He  was  cer- 
tainly tongue-tied  for  quite  a  while;  but  when  he 
found  his  voice,  said,  "Mr.  Arling,  that  young  lady  of 


8M        THE  BiAEING  OF  A  CANADIAN 

yours"— frr  I  had  told  him  all  about  Katy— "must  be 
something  out  of  the  ordinary;  for  I  never  heard  tell  of  a 
young  lady  of  her  circumstances  paying  much  atten- 
tion to  an  old  trapper  like  me.  Thii  it  certainty  the 
most  beautiful  Bible  I  ever  clapped  an  qre  on;  and 
then  for  her  to  go  to  the  trouble  of  writing  mt  a  letter 
with  her  own  hand;  it  is  more  than  I  could  ever  expect. 
But  I  will  keep  that  letter  as  long  as  I  live,  and  keep  it 
right  inside  the  cover  of  my  beautiful  Bible;  and  every 
time  I  go  to  read  the  Bible,  I  will  read  her  letter  6nt, 
and  then  read  the  Bible  she  waf  to  kind  and  good  at  to 
send  me,  and  which  I  put  so  much  store  on." 

After  this  long  talk,  the  poor  old  chap  rested  his 
head  on  his  hands,  and  wept  warm  tears  of  gratitude, 
saying  again  and  again  to  himself,  "Wonderful,  won- 
derfull" 

Toward  the  middle  of  tununer  the  Indian  runner 
called  at  our  camp — ^he  was  always  welcome— for  Lem 
and  I  had  become  quite  attached  to  him,  and  whenever 
he  called  we  treated  him  to  the  best  in  the  shack.  He 
had  been  k>yal  and  faithful  to  the  trust  and  confidence 
we  had  placed  in  him  from  the  very  first  day  I  hired 
him  to  carry  the  mail;  rain  or  shine,  when  mail  day 
arrived  we  could  tell  almost  to  the  hour  the  time  of  his 
arrival.  He  was  a  fine  young  buck,  a  full-blooded 
Indian.  After  he  had  eaten  a  good  substantial  meal, 
we  -wtte  smoking  our  pipes,  sitting  in  front  of  our  camp 
fire,  as  the  evening  was  quite  cool,  and  I  was  trying  to 
draw  him  out  and  tell  me  some  of  his  experiences. 

He  told  me  that  when  the  Indian  trappers  returned 
to  their  camps  in  the  late  spring  they  had  reported  to 
Chief  BigKul  how  justly  they  had  been  treated  in 


IIFB  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS  $47 

th«r  dealings  with  me.  And  ever  since  that  time  the 
chief  had  been  anxious  to  see  me;  hut  or.  leaving  the 
«inp  this  ciiM  the  chief  had  expressed  a  stronger 
desire  than  usual  that  I  ihould  pay  him  «  visit;  and 
be  had  sent  me  a  letter,  which  the  Indian  handed  to  me. 

The  letter  was  written  by  a  feminine  hand,  inviting 
me  to  come  up  to  his  camp  and  pay  him  a  visit,  and 
that  both  he  and  his  family  would  be  glad  to  entertain 
me  at  kmg  at  I  could  find  it  convenient  to  stay. 

Lem  said,  "Mr.  Arling,  that  would  be  »  fine  thing 
to  do;  for  I  am  sure  you  would  enjoy  a  visit  to  the 
chiefs  home.  He  is  a  fine  Christian  Indian,  and  lives 
m  a  very  nice  house  on  an  island  in  the  lake,  with  his 
two  tont  and  two  daughtert— his  wife  died  two  years 
ago;  but  they  five  in  good  shape  jutt  like  white  people." 
So  I  made  up  my  mind  to  go,  and  told  the  Indian  I 
would  be  ready  to  go  with  him  on  his  return  journey. 

It  was  just  two  weeks  when  the  Indian  mail  carrier 
returned  ftom  his  rounds,  but  I  was  all  ready  for  him 
and  bidding  Lem  goodbye,  we  started  on  our  five 
days  tramp,  arriving  at  our  destination  towardt  the 
evening  of  a  most  beaudful  day. 

On  reaching  the  lower  end  of  the  lake  we  came  to  a 
Wttll  wharf  or  landing  stage  or  which  v  cor  j,cted 
a  finely  built  boathouse;  the  door  was  uni  ed  so 
we  entered,  and  the  Indian  telected  a  verv  handsome 
birch  bark  canoe,  the  best  one  of  the  four 
found  in  the  boathouse.  We  lifted  it  out 
fully  and  placed  it  in  the  water;  the  Indian  p 
our  packs,  guns,  and  other  things  in  the  bow,  .  in- 
vited me  to  uke  a  seat  in  the  center  of  the  canot  vhile 
he  took  bit  place  in  the  stem.  Hie  Indian  ww  c  oT 


we 

.  re- 
all 


•48 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


the  finest  paddlers  I  ever  law,  and  fairly  made  the 
canoe  skim  over  the  surface  of  the  water;  it  wu  »  raoit 
delightful  tenndon  traveling  lo  twiftly  over  the  waten 
of  that  beautiful  lake.   It  actually  looked  like  a  large 
golden  bowl,  filled  with  the  glory  of  the  dying  sun, 
bidding  adieu  to  the  world  for  another  night  as  it 
dropped  lower  and  lower,  surely  and  silently  behind 
the  wettem  horizon,  painting  the  irhcAt  of  the  land- 
scape with  opalescent  hues  of  amler,  blue,  green  and 
red,  gradually  sinking  behind  thd  western  hilltops  to 
hide  its  face,  like  a  coy  and  bashful  maiden,  and  passed 
out  of  view  as  it  descended  in  the  west.   The  chiefs 
house  was  situated  on  an  island  at  the  upper  aid  of  the 
lake;  the  island  consisted  of  about  one  hundred  acres 
of  land,  all  under  cultivation;  the  lake  wat  about  two 
miles  long  by  one  and  a  half  miles  wide,  and  called 
"Lovesick  Lake."   At  the  upper  end  there  were  beau- 
tiful falls,  called  "Lovesick  Falls,"  and  a  little  beyond 
the  falls,  on  the  mainland,  wat  situated  the  Indian 
village  or  encampment.  The  borders  of  the  lake  on 
the  other  three  fides  were  shut  in  with  trees  or  forest 
growing  to  the  very  water's  edge,  and  their  shadows 
were  reflected  deep  down  into  the  water.   It  was  cer- 
tainly a  most  romantic  spot;  the  lake  looked  Hke  a 
gigantic  mirror,  reflecting  the  landscape  from  «very 
tide,  presenting  a  most  beautiful  picture  framed  >,  an 
enormous  border  of  emerald  green;  the  surface  of  the 
lake  was  without  a  ripple,  and  as  transparent  as  glass, 
so  that  you  could  look  over  the  side  of  your  canoe  and 
see  the  pebbles  and  submarine  growth  at  Ac  bottom, 
with  myriads  of  fish     all  descriptions  moving  lazily 
through  the  pastas^  between  the  rocks,  or  darting 


Un  m  THE  NOHTH  WOODS  340 
^and  there  after  some  inMct  or  grub  with  lightning 

well-preserved,  sinewy  Indian;  he  reached  out  hii 
hand  and  grasped  mine  firmly  in  his.  as  he  helped  me 
out  of  the  canoe  and  in  ve^  good  English  said  that 

7  lT.u''7  *  ?  personally,  so  that  he 

could  thank      ^  r  y^^^^  ^^^^  ^« 

honorable  wa  sincerely  hoped  that  I  would  be 

able  to  stay  .  them  for  some  time  and  enjoy  the 
hospiuhty  of  his  home;  though  it  might  not  be  as 
fine  as  I  was  accustomed  to,  they  would  aU  do  their 
best  to  make  my  stay  a  pleasant  one. 

fine'il?'"  introduced  me  to  his  two  daughters,  both 
fine  looking  prls  wjth  p.erdng  dark  eyes,  raven  black 
hair,  finely  formed  features,  and  beautifullv  dear 
b^hve  complexions.   The  name  of  the  eldest  was 
Muuue,  her  Indian  name  meant  "Sone  Bird  "  Thp 

The  two  sons  were  fine  athletic  young  fellows  Th« 

Rj^LT^rb""^'  ^He%t:^;tll:: 

.I^L.     5  *:°y^took  my  satchel,  gun,  fishing  rod 
and  tackle,  and  the  girls  escorted  me  to  the  house 

Ihe  nouse  was  a  large,  roomy,  one-storied  frame 
bmldmg,  with  a  deep  sloping  shingled  roof,  with  a  wide 

fro«t  of  the  buildmg;  the  house  was  painted  white  with 
green  shutters,  and  everything  about  the  place  was 
spotlessly  clean.  I  was  ushered  into  a  lafge  c^ 
foruble  bedroom,  with  two  windows  facing  L  folk; 


850        THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


all  the  furniture  in  the  room  was  of  white  oak,  with 
homonade  rag  carpets  on  the  floor,  the  wall*  <rf  the 
room  were  covered  with  a  K^t-colored  paper,  with 
red  and  pink  rose  vines  as  the  pattern,  with  lots  of 
green  leaves.  But  the  thing  which  caught  my  eye  and 
appealed  to  me  the  most  was  the  fine  roomy  bedstead, 
with  its  snowy  white  bedspread.  I  had  not  seen  one 
from  the  day  I  left  Toronto,  and  it  looked  most  invitmg 
I  can  assure  you. 

The  island  was  almost  perfectly  round,  and  from  a 
distance  looked  like  an  upturned  sugar  kettle,  that  is, 
the  kind  they  boil  the  sugar  in,  in  the  maple  for^ts 
and  woods.  The^house  was  built  at  the  highest  point 
of  the  apex,  the  land  sloping  down  to  the  lake  at  every 
side,  with  the  front  of  the  house  facing  the  falls,  and 
the  Indian  village  in  the  distance,  a  short  distance 
beyond  the  cataract.  The  view  from  the  veranda  was 
most  charming. 

We  were  all  sitting  here  in  the  comfortable  rocking- 
chairs  after  the  supper  was  over;  it  was  the  first 
evening  of  my  visit.  I  had  handed  the  chief  and  the 
two  boys  a  few  of  my  cigars,  which  they  were  enjoying 
very  much;  Minnie  was  sitting  alongside  of  me,  and 
I  was  smoking  my  cigar,  and  silently  meditating  on  the 
beauty  of  the  scene,  when  she  said,  "Mr.  Arling, 
we  must  take  you  for  a  canoe  ride  up  to  the  foot  of 
*  Lovesick  Falls,'  and  if  you  are  fond  of  fishing,  we  will 
get  some  fine  black  bass." 

"Miss  Minnie,"  I  said,  "I  am  certainly  fond  of  fish- 
ing, and  will  be  delighted  to  go;  but  please  tell  me  why 
do  they  call  those  beautiful  falls  the  'Lovesick  Falls?'" 

"Mr.  Arling,"  she  replied,  "there  is  quite  a  pretty 


UPE  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS  851 

story,  and  a  most  romantic  one,  connected  with  their 
history,  which  gave  them  this  charming  name,  but  at 
the  same  time  the  story  is  a  very  sad  one.  But  I  will 
teU  It  to  you,  and  you  can  judge  of  its  merits  yourself. 
Our  people  have  lived  in  this  vicinity  for  many,  many 

missionaries  came  to 
hve  widi  us,  and  teach  us  the  religion  of  Christ;  and 
which  I  am  happy  to  say  our  whole  tribe  has  now 
adopted.   The  Hudson  Bay  Company  had  a  post, 
just  outside  the  village  you  see  above  the  falls.  The 
Hudson  Bay  factor,  or  manager  of  the  post,  was  a 
fine-looking  specimen  of  an  Englishman;  his  business 
brought  him  into  close  contact  with  the  chief  of  our 
ttibe— an  ancestor  of  mine  on  my  father's  side.  This 
chief  was  held  in  high  honor,  and  most  respected  by 
every  Indian  in  the  tribe;  he  had  but  one  child,  a 
daughter,  who  was  noted  for  her  great  beauty,  partic- 
ularly so  for  the  charm  of  her  eyes,  which  were  large 
and  luminous,  expressing  great  sincerity  and  kindli- 
ness of  spirit  which  endeared  her  to  all,  and  this  is 
how  she  acquired  her  beautiful  name  of  Laughing 
Eyes,  for  she  was  always  happy.    The  factor  in  the 
course  of  business  frequently  called  at  her  father's 
cabin,  and  of  course  on  each  visit  met  Laughing  Eyes, 
the  princess  of  the  tribe,  and  became  greatly  interested 
in  her,  more  so  because  she  had  such  an  inordinate 
thirst  for  knowledge;  especially  so  in  regard  to  peoples 
of  civilized  nations,  their  mode  of  living,  their  char- 
acters and  habits. 

"And  to  please  her  he  would  tell  her  of  the  way  the 
people  of  England  lived,  the  style  of  their  homes,  the 
way  they  dressed,  and  described  to  her  the  large 


m         THE  MAKING  O?  A  CANADIAN 


stores  where  you  could  purchase  an}rdiing  you  needed; 
he  also  told  her  <^  the  magnificoit  streets  with  houses, 
palaces,  and  stores  on  each  side;  of  the  churches, 
theaters,  markets;  also  of  the  rivers  spanned  with 
beautiful  bridges,  then  of  the  wharves  and  docks  lined 
with  ships  which  sailed  the  oceans, — describing  his  own 
passage  across  the  Atlantic, — and  to  make  it  all  the 
more  real  to  her,  he  showed  her  pictures  of  cities  and 
city  streets  with  their  enormous  traffic.  He  then  showed 
her  photographs  of  his  own  home,  and  pictures  of  his 
wife  and  children. 

"She  at  last  became  so  infatuated  with  him,  and  so 
anxious  to  hear  more  of  the  wonders  of  the  outside 
world,  that  she  would  follow  him  round  wherever  he 
went,  asking  for  more  stories,  and  more  information; 
and  to  please  her  he  would  spend  a  great  deal  of  rime 
gratifying  her  thirst  for  informarion.  He  ^id  it  all 
out  of  pure  kindness,  for  she  was  like  an  innocent  little 
child  to  him;  and  he  failed  to  perceive  that  every  day 
she  was  becoming  more  and  more  infatuated  with  him- 
self. This  had  never  entered  his  mind  for  a  moment. 
One  evening  he  was  telling  her  all  about  his  home  life, 
and  what  a  lovely  character  his  wife  was,  and  how 
anxious  he  was  to  return  to  her  and  his  children.  It 
all  seemed  to  make  a  deep  impression  on  her,  for  she 
sat  silently  for  quite  a  long  time  after  he  had  gotten 
through  talking,  for  he  was  a  perfect  master  of  the 
Indian  language. 

"On  coining  out  of  her  reverie  she  looked  up  into  his 
face,  like  the  innocent  child  that  she  was,  and  said, 
*How  many  wives  do  Englishmen  have?' 

*"My  dear  child,'  he  replied,  *no  Englishman  ever 


a  heartrending  cry  of  despair  she  Jumped  from  that  high  rock 
into  the  seething,  turbulent  waters  of  the  chasm  below 

See  page  353 


LIFE  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS 


853 


has  but  one  wife!'  And  then  the  factor  discovered 
for  the  first  time  that  Laughing  Eyes  was  in  love  with 
him;  and  tried,  for  her  sake,  to  keep  away  from  her 
fiither't  house  as  much  as  possible.  But  she  no  sooner 
saw  that  he  was  trying  to  avoid  her,  than  her  spirits 
began  to  droop,  and  she  wandered  alone  through  the 
woods,  or  stole  along  the  trail  to  the  edge  of  the  falls, 
watching  their  ceaseless  flow  by  the  hour;  and  she 
slowly  but  St  ely  began  to  fade  away. 

"On  a  beautiful  moonlight  night,  when  the  sky 
was  studd  1  with  millions  of  stars,  and  when  all  was 
still  in  the  camp,  Laughing  Eyes  stole  out  of  her 
father's  cabin,  and  climbed  up  to  the  top  of  the  big 
rock,  which  you  can  see  from  here,  overlooking  the 
falls.   She  sat  there  for  a  long  time,  singing  or  crooning 
a  soft  plaintive  Indian  melody  in  a  low  sobbing  tone, 
which  was  heard  by  an  Indian  brave  who  had  trailed 
her  from  the  camp,  for  he  was  passionately  in  love  with 
her  himself.   And  all  of  a  sudden,  with  a  heartrending 
cry  oi  de;>pair,  she  jumped  from  that  high  rock  into 
the  seething,  turbulent  waters  of  the  chasm  below,  and 
her  little  frail  body  was  carried  out  into  the  lake  at  the 
foot  of  the  rapids.    Ever  since  that  time  the  falls  have 
been  called  the  'Lovesick  Falls,'  and  the  lake  the 
'Lovesick  Lake."* 

We  sat  until  quite  late  on  the  veranda  of  Chief 
Bigsail's  cottage,  o*^  th^t  beautiful  midsummer  night, 
enjoying  the  moor  t  a.nd  the  charming  view  from 
that  vantage  point.  I  found  the  Misses  Bigsails'  not 
only  fine  entertainers,  but  accomplished  and  highly 
educated  your.g  women,  both  graduates  of  eastern 
>eminan»  of  learning. 


8f4         THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

The  two  brothers  were  also  products  of  one  of 
Toronto's  colleges,  and  both  were  equipping  tliem- 
selves  t,  become  missionaries  to  the  Incbam  m  die 
Northwest,  so  that  my  conversation  with  dus  dehgh^ 
ful  Indian  fanuly  to  not  only  entertaining  but  in- 
structive. .  ,     ,        1  J  ^;rT 
Just  before  retiring  for  the  night,  they  asked  me  if  I 
was  fond  of  owimming,  and  being  answered  m  the 
affirmative,  they  invited  me  to  join  them  m  the  morn- 
ing, and  enjoy  with  them  their  morning  plunge  m  the 
lake,  which  invitation  I  was  very  glad  to  accept;  and 
on  entering  my  room,  I  found  a  very  handsome  y 
knitted  bathing  suit  lying  on  my  bed,  for  my  use  m 

the  morning.  i  „  t  ^.^^ 

It  did  not  take  me  long  to  go  to  sleep  when  I  turned 
into  that  comfortable  bed  that  night,  for  I  was  com- 
pletely tired  out.  I  imagined  I  had  just  dozed  oW, 
while  thinking  of  the  stirring  scenes  of  the  day,  when 
I  was  roused  by  a  succession  of  knocL.  on  die  door, 
and  heard  one  of  die  boys  saying,  "Mr.  Arimg.  it  is 
five  o'clock,  and  we  are  all  waiting  for  you  to  come  and 

have  a  swim."  .  ,      j  i 

I  was  out  of  bed  in  a  moment  and  donned  the 
bathing  suit,  which  fitted  me  exactly,  and  was  yerj 
comfortable.  The  two  boys  and  the  girls  were  waioni 
for  me  on  die  veranda,  and  we  all  went  at  onct  toth 
boat  landing,  where  dicy  had  a  fine  spnngboard  to  div. 
from.  They  told  me  diere  was  at  least  twenty  tee 
of  water  at  that  point,  therefore  I  need  not  feel  th 
least  bit  alarmed  at  hitting  my  head  on  the  bottom,  b; 
diving  too  deeply.   So  one  after  die  other  we  «i 
out  to  die  end  of  die  springboard,  and  took  headei 


LIFE  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS 


955 


right  into  the  cool  waters  of  the  lake;  the  girls  were  just 
as  much  at  home  in  the  water  as  they  were  on  the  land, 
and  we  all  swam,  floated,  and  dived  to  our  hearts'  con- 
tent; next  we  took  a  couple  of  bark  canoes  and  pad- 
dled out  a  considerable  disance  into  the  lake,  diving 
out  of  the  canoes  and  playing  tag  in  the  water  until 
we  were  all  tired  out  and  decided  it  was  time  to  return 
to  the  house  and  have  breakfast;  for  the  str.nuous 
exercise  indulged  in  that  morning  had  given  us  a 
strong  desire  to  eat;  my  stomach  certainly  told  me  it 
was  time,  for  I  was  aknost  famished  with  hunger.  I 
think  without  exception  that  was  one  of  the  most  en- 
joyable and  exhilaratmg  swims  I  ever  had.   We  soon 
completed  our  toilets  and  sat  down  at  the  breakfast 
table. 

My!  how  good  that  breakfast  did  taste.   In  the 

center  of  the  table  was  a  large  fruit  dish,  almost  as  big 
as  a  punch  bowl,  filled  to  the  brim  with  wild  straw- 
berries, the  most  delicious  berry  imaginable;  and 
they  served  the  strawberries  in  good-sized  cereal  dishes, 
covered  with  fresh  cream;  fried  black  bass  caught  the 
evening  before,  fresh  eggs,  coffee  a  id  rolls. 

This  was  the  bill  of  fare;  but  the  i'act  of  sitting  down 
to  breakfast  in  a  nicely  furnished  room,  in  a  private 
house,  the  table  covered  with  a  snowy  white  cloth,  the 
meal  served  on  clean  china  dishes,  and  with  well- 
polished  silver  cutlery  and  spoons,  and  added  to  all  this 
a  strong  healthy  apperite;  for  this  was  the  first  time  m 
almost  a  year  that  I  had  had  the  privilege,— para- 
doxical as  it  may  seem,— of  eating  a  well-cooked  and 
well-served  meal  in  a  civilized  home,  even  though  it 
was  served  in  the  home  of  a  pure-blooded  Indian  family. 


856 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


I  certainly  did  enjoy  it,  every  mouthful  had  the 
home  flavor,  which  made  it  taste  so  good,  and  never 
to  be  forgotten.   After  partaking  of  this  delicious 
meal  and  smoking  a  cigar  while  ritting  on  one  of  the 
veranda  chairt  for  a  short  time,  we  all  repaired  to  the 
landing-suge,  got  out  the  canoes,  and  paddled  up  to 
the  romantic  "Lovesick  Falls,"  baited  our  hooks,  cast 
our  lines  into  the  turbulent  waters,  and  started  fishing. 
I  had  my  own  split  bamboo  rod  with  me,  good  line  and 
reel  which  had  done  me  such  good  service  ever  since  I 
had  arrived  in  the  North  Woods.   Before  we  arrived 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Falls,  Miss  Minnie  suggested 
that  she  would  paddle  the  canoe  from  the  center  of  the 
boat,  and  allow  me  to  troll  from  the  stem;  we  had  only 
gone  a  short  disunce  out  into  the  lake  when  I  got  a 
most  savage  bite,  the  rod  was  almost  jerked  out  of  my 
hands;  I  allowed  the  line  to  run  out  for  fully  fifty  feet, 
before  I  began  to  reel  it  in  very  slowly,  until  I  had  my 
fish  almost  alongside  the  canoe;  Minnie  cried  out 
"It's  a  lunge!  it's  a  lunge  I  and  a  big  one;  you  will 
have  to  play  him  for  some  rime,  Mr.  Arling.   But  the 
next  rime  you  reel  him  up  close  to  the  canoe,  I'll  gaff 
him  sure,"  which  she  did,  and  landed  in  the  canoe  a 
fourteen-pound  muskellunge  on  the  end  of  her  gaff. 
When  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  falls,  we  had  the 
finest  kind  of  sport  with  the  black  bass;  they  were  the 
liveliest,  and  gamest  lot  of  fish  I  ever  cast  a  line  for. 
The  flies  had  not  been  as  numerous  ss  usual  that  sea- 
son, and  the  fish  were  hungry  and  seized  the  bait  as 
fast  as  you  could  throw  your  line  into  the  water.  We 
caught  a  large  number  of  bass,  but  threw  all  the  small 
ones  back  into  the  hkc,  taking  home  with  us  thirty  very 


LIFE  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS  857 

fine  ones,  two  of  them  weighing  six  pounds  each.  We 
storted  to  return  by  the  same  route  we  covered  in 
coming  out.    I  was  trolling  and  Minnie  paddling  as 
Wore,  and  almost  at  the  same  point  in  the  lake  where 
I  had  captured  the  big  lunge  on  the  way  out,  I  received 
another  terrific  bite-it  was  certainly  a  savage  one. 
Minnie  got  quite  excited,  calling  out,  "Play  him  I 
play  him,  Mr.  Arlingi  for  he  is  certainly  a  big  one." 
^e  said  this  just  as  he  jumped  out  of  the  water,  not 
thuty  feet  from  the  canoe;  and  he  looked  like  a  whop- 
per.  I  reeled  him  in  very  gently,  just  a  Uttle  at  a  time, 
until  I  got  him  close  to  the  side  of  the  canoe,  when 
Mmnie  gaffed  him  right  under  the  gills,  and  landed 
him  m  the  bow  of  the  canoe.   There  was  lots  of  fight 
inhim  yet,  but  Minnie  took  a  short  club,  which  they 
ahrays  used  in  fishing  for  lunge,  and  struck  him  a  shaip 
blow  on  the  back  of  the  head,  and  this  knocked  the 
fight  out  of  him.   He  had  a  savage  look  as  he  lay  on 
Ae  bottom  of  the  canoe,  with  his  mouth  wide  open, 
Jowuig  a  fuU  set  of  ivory  teeth  as  sharp  as  needles. 
We  had  him  baked  and  stuffed  for  dinner  that  evening, 
and  he  made  delicious  eating. 

Miss  Minnie  was  a  very  good  singer,  in  fact  they 
aU  sang  weU,  both  boys  and  girls.  But  Victoria  was 
Ae  piams^  and  played  very  beautifully  for  an  amateur. 
Many  of  her  white  sisters  might  have  copied  her  style 
with  profit  to  themselves.  We  had  the  most  deUghtful 
musical  evenings  all  the  time  I  was  with  them. 

I  had  remained  under  their  roof  as  their  guest  for 
two  whole  weeks,  and  now  that  the  rime  had  arrived 
for  my  return  I  was  mighty  sorry,  and  was  loth  to  say 
good-bye.  But  the  time  bad  come,  and  it  was  with 


868 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


profound  regret  that  I  was  compelled  to  say  the  words 
which  would  separate  me  from  people  who  had  shown 
me  such  kindness  and  treated  me  with  Mich  tmerout 
hoipitality.  I  had  new  in  til  nqr  travels  been  the 
recipient  of  eo  many  acta  of  sincere,  honest  friendship, 
and  so  much  genuine  courtesy  as  I  had  received  at 
the  hands  of  this  Christian  family  of  Indians. 

During  the  two  weeks  that  I  had  Kved  at  die  duefi 
house  I  had  become  acquainted  with  abnoet  every 
Indian  at  the  encampment,  and  had  made  arrange- 
ments with  the  chief  and  his  council  to  purchase  all  the 
skins  they  could  deliver  by  the  following  spring.  I 
had  made  so  many  friends  among  them  that  when  I 
surted  on  my  return  journey  I  was  accompanied  by  a 
large  flotilla  of  canoes,  who  followed  in  our  wake  until 
we  reached  the  lower  landing  place  at  the  beginning 
of  the  back  trail.  It  took  some  time  to  shake  hands 
with  all  of  them,  but  every  last  man  of  them  expressed 
a  desire  to  shake  my  hand  before  I  said  my  last  good- 
bye to  them,  and  nearly  all  brought  me  some  little 
souvenir  of  Indian  handy  work  to  remember  them  by. 

But  at  last  I  got  away,  and  started  back  to  Lem 
and  the  cabin,  carrying  back  with  me  so  many  memo- 
ries of  their  generous  hospitality,  courtesy,  and  kmd- 
ness,  that  time  has  never  been  able  to  efface. 

Lem  was  mighty  glad  to  see  me  on  my  return  from 
my  visit  to  Chief  Bigsail  and  family,  and  was  im- 
mensely pleased  vvhen  I  told  him  of  the  wonderful 
reception  I  had  received  from  the  chief,  his  daughten 
and  sons.  Also  of  the  many  pleawnt  experiences  I  hac 
enjoyed  during  my  two  weeks*  stay  with  them;  an( 
last  of  all  of  the  contract  I  had  made  with  the  chief  anc 


LIFE  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS 


809 


his  council,  in  which  I  had  agreed  to  take  all  their  fall 
and  winter  catch;  and  they  also  agreed  to  send  me 
every  skin  taken  by  the  Indians. 

Lem  and  I  Mt  in  front  of  our  smudge  fire  until  quite 
hte  that  night,  and  decided  that  as  the  Indians  had 
agreed  to  hand  over  to  us  all  the  skins  they  captured 
in  the  fall  and  winter,  that  it  would  be  wise  to  start  in 
at  once  and  erect  a  good-sized  storehouse  to  protect 
Aem  from  the  weather  until  time  for  shipment. 

Thii  waa  mibeequently  accomplished  with  the  aid 
of  a  number  of  trappers  and  Indians,  for  just  as  it 
became  known  that  I  desired  to  erect  a  bam  to  hold 
the  skins,  word  was  sent  round  to  every  trapper  and 
Indian  in  the  district,  and  between  them  they  appointed 
a  day  to  meet  at  our  camp  and  hold  a  building  bee. 
They  arrived  on  the  morning  of  the  day  named,  with 
horses,  heavy  wagons,  tools,  and  all  necessary  appli- 
ances and  before  evening  the  timber  had  been  cut  and 
hauled  into  camp,  and  the  next  evening  the  log  bam 
was  finished  ready  to  receive  the  skins. 

The  following  month  was  consumed  in  visiting  the 
traps,  hunting,  fishing,  and  getting  everything  in  readi- 
ness for  the  winter,  so  that  nothing  would  rev 
attention  but  receiving  the  skins,  classifying  the 
entering  them  up  in  the  day  book,  and  giving  out  skin 
diecks  to  die  owners. 

I  wrote  a  long  letter  to  Jimmy  Ryan,  telling  him  of 
the  arrangements  I  had  made  for  skins,  and  that  the 
chances  were  I  would  be  able  to  ship  him  double  the 
quantity  I  had  shipped  him  the  year  previous;  and 
instructed  him  to  make  preparations  to  finance  a  deal 
of  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 


MO 


THE  MAIONG  OF  A  CANADIAN 


•tfoi^jr  urging  him  to  come  up  on  the  schooner  hiro- 
•elf  on  her  first  trip,  bringing  the  money  with  him. 

I  also  wrote  a  long  letter  to  Katy,  for  I  had  a  lot  to 
tay  to  her  thu  time.  My  vmt  to  the  Bifiaib'  had 
been  auch  a  dcBghtful  experience.  I  was  simply  full  of 
it,  and  it  filled  up  a  good  deal  of  the  letter;  and  better 
than  all  I  was  enabled  to  tell  her  that  I  had  succeeded 
in  all  that  I  had  come  out  to  the  North  Woods  to  seek, 
and  wac  iAle  to  tell  her  in  this  letter  that  I  had  entirely 
lecoveied  my  health,  feeling  better  and  ttronger  than  I 
had  Wt  in  many  years,  and  if  all  was  well  would  return 
to  Toronto  on  the  schooner  in  the  spring. 

The  days,  the  weeks  and  months  passed  in  rapid 
succession,  and  I  led  much  the  same  kind  of  a  life, 
passing  through  the  same  experiences  which  I  had  had 
the  prev.ous  winter. 

Lem  and  his  friends  the  trappers  and  Indians  got 
up  an  immense  deer  hunt,  which  lasted  for  four  weeks, 
bagging  on  the  diflFerent  runways  over  three  hundred 
head.  This  provided  them  with  fresh  meat  for  the 
whole  of  the  winter,  as  well  as  making  big  money  on 
the  skins.  Towards  the  end  of  the  winter  the  trappers 
and  Indians  began  arriving  on  snow-shoes,  hauling 
their  toboggans  behind  them,  or  driving  their  dog- 
teams  ahead.  All  the  toboggans  were  heavily  loaded 
with  skins,  so  that  Lem  and  I  had  our  hands  full 
checking  them  off  and  classifying  them.  The  trap- 
pers and  Indians  all  turned  in  and  helped  to  pack 
them  into  bales,  and  after  I  had  marked  them  and 
affixed  their  proper  numbers,  they  piled  them  up  in 
the  bam.  Each  Indian  and  each  trapper  had  been 
pven  a  separate  number,  so  that  diere  was  no  chance 


Uil  IN  IBB  NORTH  WOODS 


S61 


for  miiuket  to  occur;  Lem  and  I  had  become  great 
adepts  at  receiving,  classifying,  and  stowing  away  the 
skins  as  they  arrived,  so  that  everything  now  moved 
like  clockwork.  The  log  bam  proved  to  be  a  great 
success,  for  all  the  sk*  .s  and  hides  which  we  had 
ceived  were  under  cover  and  safe  from  the  weather. 

At  last  the  long  expected  schooner  was  sighted  far 
out  in  the  lake,  and  was  making  for  the  bay  under  a  full 
head  of  tail 

It  was  a  thrilling  sight,— especially  for  me,— for  I 
had  been  looking  forward  to  this  day  ^--r  ^imost  two 
years;  the  day  on  which  I  could  sav  >  by  the  help 
of  a  kind  Providence  my  health  h.  ,n  restored,  and 
was  now  in  condition  to  return  om  -nore  to  my  home 
and  friends,  able  and  gladly  willing  to  uke  up  the 
burdens  and  duties  of  life  in  civilization  where  I  had 
laid  them  down. 

The  schooner  sailed  straight  through  the  narrows, 
«id  the  captain  brought  her  up  to  her  moorings  without 
the  slightest  mishap. 

The  first  man  to  climb  down  the  rope  ladder  and 
jun  into  the  ship's  yawl  was  Jimmy  R>'an.  As  soon 
as  he  put  his  foot  on  the  landing-stage,  he  grasped  me 
by  both  hands,  and  expressed  his  great  pleasure  at 
meeting  me  once  more  and  under  such  favorable  cir- 
cumstances. StiU  holding  me  by  both  hands,  he 
pushed  me  from  him  at  full  arm's  length,— so  that  he 
could  get  a  good  look  at  me,— and  exclaimed,  "Why 
man  alive,  Jack!  you  really  look  fine;  you  have  annexed 
a  coat  of  tan  that  might  be  envied  by  an  Indian.  I 
am  so  glad,  old  chap,  to  see  you  kMn%  so  strong  and 


S62 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


After  mutual  congratulations  had  been  passed,  we 
sat  down  together  under  the  spreading  branches  of  a 
large  tree;  and  I  listened  as  he  told  me  of  all  that  had 
happened  since  I  left  Toronto.  Lcm  had  been  busy 
from  the  time  we  had  righted  the  schooner,  working 
like  a  Trojan  to  get  up  a  meal  for  the  viritors  and  have 
it  ready  when  they  arrived. 

A  messenger  was  sent  down  to  the  landing  for 
Jimmy  and  me,  and  we  strolled  together  up  to  the 
cabin  which  had  been  my  home  for  such  a  long  time. 
Lem  was  mi^ty  glad  to  see  Jimmy  once  more,  for 
they  had  not  seen  each  other  for  six  years.  But  Lem 
looked  mighty  proud  when  Jimmy  gave  him  his  full 
meed  of  praise  and  credit  for  his  great  kindness  to  me; 
but  as  there  were  such  a  lot  of  hungry  men  waiting 
for  dinner,  they  had  to  cut  this  mutual  admiration 
conversation  short. 

Lem  had  certainly  done  himself  proud  in  getting  up 
that  meal.  It  consisted  of  fish,  game,  flapjacks, 
crackers  and  cheese,  with  tea  and  coffee  to  wash  it 
down;  after  ve  had  eaten  until  we  could  eat  no  more 
everyone  at  the  table  pronounced  that  meal  as  the 
very  best  they  had  ever  eaten  in  the  woods. 

As  soon  as  the  dinner  was  over  and  we  had  sat  for  a 
while  smoking  our  pipes  and  cigars, — for  Jimmy  had 
brought  me  up  a  few  boxes  of  fine  Havanas, — we 
started  in  at  once  to  check  <^  die  bales  of  skins,  one 
number  at  a  time,  and  pay  the  owner  of  that  number 
for  his  skins,  after  comparing  his  skin  checks  with  the 
invoice. 

As  soon  as  a  number  was  checked  off  and  paid  for, 
all  the  bales  marked  with  that  number  were  put  on 


UPE  IN^THE  NORTH  WOODS  S6S 

board  the  yawl  and  taken  to  the  schooner,  and  stowed 
away  in  the  hold.  This  obtained  until  the  last  number 
had  been  checked  off  and  paid  for.  It  took  two  whole 
days  to  complete  the  job;  when  all  was  finished,  and 
the  last  bale  of  skins  was  stowed  away  in  the  hold  of 
the  schooner,  the  trappers  and  Indians  were  called  into 
the  cabin,  one  at  a  time,  beginning  with  No.  i,  ?.nd 
Jimmy  and  I  compared  his  checks  again  with  iiis 
invoice,  and  had  him  count  his  money,  to  see  that  it 
was  right,  and  saw  him  tuck  his  cash  away  in  his  money 
belt. 

Every  trapper  and  Indian  was  perfectly  satisfied 
and  each  and  all  of  them  expressed  themselves  as  more 
than  pleased,  we  shook  hands  all  round,  and  they  left 
for  their  several  camps. 

The  captain  and  Jinmiy  went  back  to  sleep  in  their 
bunks  in  the  schooner;  so  Lem  and  I  were  left  alone 
once  more.   We  sat  round  the  camp  fire  until  late  that 
night,  for  I  was  loth  to  leave  it,  it  was  my  last  night  in 
that  camp,  and  I  hated  the  thought  of  leaving  poor  old 
Lem.   He  and  I  had  become  great  chums,  and  were 
very  much  attached  to  each  other;  I  had  lived  with 
him  for  almost  two  years,  and  during  all  that  time,  had 
never  seen  a  frown  on  his  face,  that  is,  as  far  as  I 
was  concerned;  but  to  the  contrary  he  was  always  on 
die  lookout  to  find  some  way  to  do  me  a  kindness,  and 
for  some  chance  to  make  me  more  comfortable.    I  had 
been  looking  at  him  and  scanning  his  features,  as  we 
sat  in  front  of  the  camp  fire  that  last  night  of  my  so- 
journ in  the  North  Woods,  and  I  noticed  how  quiet  he 
had  become;  his  face  expressing  deep  sorrow,  it  meant 
«  lot  to  him  to  have  me  leave,  for  he  loved  me  as 


864 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


though  I  was  his  own  son.  I  asked  him  to  come  into 
the  cabin  with  me;  when  we  got  inside  the  shack,  I 
said,  "Lem,  old  partner,  I  am  real  glad  to  go  home, 
but  mighty  sorry  to  leave  you.  You  have  been  very 
kind  to  me,  old  chapl  and  I  will  never  forget  you  as 
long  as  I  live.  I  am  going  back  to  Toronto,  and  expect 
to  get  married,  and  have  a  home  of  my  own.  But 
Lem,  always  remember  that  Jack  Arling  is  your  friend; 
and  if  you  ever  need  a  friend,  Lem,  call  on  me,  for  I 
promise  never  to  fail  you;  and  whenever  you  call,  day 
or  night,  the  latchstring  will  be  on  the  outside  of  the 
door  for  you,  and  you  wi'l  always  receive  a  warm  wel- 
come from  me  and  mine." 

I  gave  him  my  rifle,  shotgun,  fishing  rod  and  tackle, 
blankets,  and  aU  the  paraphernalia  in  the  cabin  to 
remember  me  by.  Ke  said  there  was  no  use  in  giving 
him  anything  to  reniind  him  of  me,  for  I  would  never 
be  out  of  his  thougnts,  and  said  he  was  sorry  he  could 
not  speak  and  tell  me  what  was  in  his  mind,  for  he 
could  not  say  much  that  night,  but  he  would  promise 
always  to  make  me  and  my  dear  wife  special  and  par- 
ticular subjects  of  his  prayer;  and  perhaps  some  day  he 
might  take  the  journey  to  Toronto  on  the  schooner;  if 
he  did,  the  first  place  he  would  make  for  would  be  my 
home,  pull  on  the  latchstring,  and  make  ut  a  call. 

Next  morning  bright  and  early  I  boarded  the 
schooner,  and  as  soon  as  I  stepped  on  deck,  the  captain 
had  the  sails  hoisted,  and  with  a  good  wind  in  our 
favor  sailed  across  the  bay  and  through  the  gap  out 
into  the  lake.  I  stood  at  the  stem  of  the  vessel  and 
saw  Lem  standing  on  the  top  of  the  big  rock— exactly 
where  I  saw  him  standing  for  the  fint  time  when  I 


UPE  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS  9U 

neared  the  shore  two  years  previously.  I  watched  him 
standing  there  until  I  could  see  him  no  longer,  and  then 
wait  forward  and  joined  Jimmy  Ryan  on  the  forward 
decJ^  where  we  chatted  and  smoked  until  lunchtime. 

Nothing  of  an  exciting  nature  happened  on  the 
journey,  so  we  made  a  fine  run  to  Collingwood. 

The  skins  were  unloaded  and  placed  in  two  box  cars, 
locked  up,  and  the  two  cars  were  coupled  to  the  train 
Aat  our  coach  was  attached  to.   When  we  arrived  at 
Toronto,  the  two  cars  were  run  into  a  siding,  and  the 
next  mommg  the  skins  were  all  carted  up  to  Jimmy 
Ryan's  warehouse.   Jimmy  was  a  proud  man  when  he 
reahzed  that  eveiy  bale  of  skins  which  we  had  brought 
ftom  the  North  Woods  were  safely  stored  away  in  his 
^rehouse,  for  this  was  the  largest  single  shipment  of 
•fans  which  had  arrived  in  Toronto  for  several  years. 
^    It  made  me  feel  very  happy  as  well,  for  my  interest 
m  the  transaction  amounted  to  over  five  thousand 
^rs.   This  of  course  was  very  gratifying  to  me,  but 
nothmg  m  comparison  with  the  feelings  of  thankfulness 
and  gratitude  which  seemed  to  permeate  my  whole 
heing,  in  the  conscious  assurance  of  restored  health- 
ier I  felt  better  than  I  had  felt  for  years.  * 
Chris  was  in  England  when  I  arrived  from  the  North 
Woods,  and  Mary  was  visiting  at  her  father's  home  in 
Ottawa.   So  there  was  no  one  to  meet  me  at  the  train 
when  I  arrived;  but  when  I  drove  up  to  the  hotel, 
and  met  with  a  lot  of  my  old  friends,  they  certainly 
did  give  me  a  royal  welcome;  I  was  almost  as  bronzed 
as  an  Indian,  and  so  strong  and  husky,  that  Charley 
Hurd  and  my  other  friends  could  hardly  believe  that 
I  was  the  same  sickly,  pale,  deKcateJooking  chap  who 


i  t 


m        THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


left  for  the  North  Woods  just  two  years  previous  to 
this  time;  for  everyone  predicted  at  the  time  of  my 
leaving  that  I  ^ould  be  brought  hmne  in  a  pine  box. 

But  ci  course  all  their  predictimis  had  gone  wrong, 
for  a  kind  overruling  Providence  had  ordered  it  other- 
wise. '  I  had  returned  sound  and  well,  and  there  was 
hardly  to  be  found  in  the  city  a  man  in  better  physical 
condition  than  myself. 

My  friends  in  Toronto  did  certainly  ^ve  me  a  hearty 
welcome.  As  soon  as  they  heard  of  my  return,  and  in 
such  fine  physical  condition,  they  simply  showered  me 
with  invitations  to  parties,  drives,  boating  expedirions, 
and  reunions  of  all  kinds,  so  that  if  I  had  had  accepted 
one-half  of  the  invitations  received,  I  wmild  not  have 
had  rime  for  anything  else. 

Even  my  old  friends  the  newspaper  reporters,  who 
were  so  kind  to  me  when  convalescing  from  the  effects 
of  the  boat  accident,  called  to  interview  me  on  my 
experiences  in  the  North  Woods.  These  interviews 
were  published  in  die  morning  and  evening  par  ^  and 
<^  course  read  by  all  my  friends.  I  mailed  several 
copies  of  these  papers  to  Katy. 

As  I  walked  along  the  streets  of  the  city,  I  was  fre- 
quently halted  by  people  I  had  never  met  before,  and 
hailed  as  one  who  had  alnKMt  risen  from  the  dead. 
I  received  so  many  letters  from  all  parts  of  the  country, 
congratulating  me  on  my  recovery,  that  it  was  usually 
midnight  before  I  got  through  reading  them.  It  goes 
without  saying  I  received  a  good  sized  budget  from 
Katy,  expressing  her  sincere  graritude  at  my  recovery 
and  at  the  same  rime  sending  me  a  strong  invitarion 
to  come  to  Ottawa  and  pay  them  a  visit. 


LIFE  IN  THE  NORTH  WOODS  867 

I  could  not  go  for  some  little  time,  as  my  businesj^ 
needed  my  attention,  and  another  good  rea.^on  for  my 
not  being  able  to  accept  her  kind  invitation  at  once,  was 
that  I  did  not  have  a  single  suit  of  clothes  that  I  could 
wear  with  any  degree  of  comfort,  I  had  grown  so  broad- 
shouldered  and  so  much  heavier  than  when  I  left 
Toronto  two  years  earlier,  and  was  compelled  to  give 
my  toilor  an  order  for  a  complete  new  outfit;  but  at 
last  eveiythbg  being  now  ready  I  packed  my  trunk 
and  took  the  night  train  for  Ottawa. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


MR.  AND  MRS.  JACK  ARLING 

Thb  good  doctor  and  Katy  were  on  the  platform 
of  the  railroad  station,  when  I  arrived  the  next  morning 
at  Ottawa.  Neither  the  doctor  nor  Katy  could  con- 
ceal their  surprise  at  my  altered  appearance  when  I 
stepped  off  the  train. 

"Why,  Jack,"  said  Katy,  "this  cannot  possibly  be 
you!"  when  she  saw  a  big  broad-shouldered,  strongly 
built  man,  with  a  tan  on  his  face  and  hands  like  an 
Indian,  ac"-"  her  familiarly  by  saying  "Dear  Katy, 
I  am  so  glad  see  you,  how  are  you  ?  and  you  look  fine." 
She  certainly  did;  as  neat  and  pretty  a  little  woman  as 
one  could  wish  to  look  at. 

But  without  answering  my  quesdon,  she  said, 
"But,  my!  Jack,  you  have  gotten  to  be  such  a  big, 
brawny  man!  and  you  are  as  brown  as  an  Indian." 

She  could  not  take  her  eyes  off  me,  on  account  of 
the  great  change  which  had  taken  place  in  my  appear- 
ance during  the  two  years  of  my  absence. 

Th  e  docto  J  the  same  fine  pair  of  horses,  behind 
whi'-V  t  ha  ,  oyed  that  beaudful  drive,  which  I 
descnbed  ii.  -  loriner  chapter,  but  two  years  had 
elapsed  since  that  dme,  and  filled  with  sdrring  events. 
This  dme  the  horses  were  harnessed  to  a  handsome  op«i 
victoria,  with  seats  for  the  occupants  facing  each  other, 
and  a  high  front  seat  for  the  liveried  coachman.  \^en 

368 


MB.  AND  MRS.  JACK  ABUNG 


869 


we  were  comfortably  seated  I  suggested  to  the  doctor 
that  as  it  was  such  a  fine  morning  it  would  be  a  good 
scheme  to  take  a  short  drive  before  going  home.  Katy 
thought  diat  a  fine  suggestion,  saying  that  the  lunch 
could  wait  without  doing  any  harm,  and  then  I  could 
tell  them  all  about  the  North  Woods  while  we  were 
driving.  So  the  doctor  told  the  coachman  what  route 
to  take,  and  we  settled  back  comfortably  in  our  seats 
for  a  chat. 

The  doctor  was  very  anxiout  to  find  out  exactly 
as  to  my  mode  of  living  all  the  time  I  was  away,  fwr  he 
said  that  in  all  his  long  experience  he  had  never  seen 
such  a  change  for  the  better  in  any  man's  physical 
appearance  as  he  saw  in  mine. 

Therefore  I  had  to  begin  at  the  very  beginning,  tell- 
iag  them  of  my  reception  at  Lem's  cabin,  dcKribing 
everything  in  and  about  the  shack;  and  then  told  them 
of  our  hunting  and  fishing  expeditions;  then  described 
our  journeys  round  the  circuit,  as  we  visited  all  the 
traps,  negotiating  the  fifty  or  sixty  miles  in  winter 
cn  mow-shoes,  camping  out  at  night  under  the  shelter 
ci  a  rock  or  in  a  cave;  of  the  many  deer  hunts  I  took 
part  in;  and  then  told  them  of  my  visit  to  Chief  Big- 
sail  and  his  family,  and  of  the  fine  fishing  I  had  there, 
of  their  wonderful  hospitality  and  their  never-ending 
kindness  to  me  all  the  time  I  remained  with  them.  I 
also  described  to  them  the  beauties  of  Lovesick  Lake, 
with  the  romantic  story  I  listened  to;  also  of  the  Indian 
village  just  at  the  rear  of  the  falls,  and  how  that  this 
whole  tribe  had  been  converted  to  Christianity.  And 
wound  up  by  telling  them  of  the  last  roundup  of  the 
trappers  and  Indians,  arriving  at  our  shack,  with  their 


870         THE  BIAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN] 


winter's  catch  of  skins,  and  how  we  paid  them  off.  And 
last  of  all  of  my  parting  with  poor  old  Lem,  and  as  I 
left  on  the  schooner,  remaining  for  a  long  time  at 
the  stem  of  the  boat,  seeing  him  perched  up  on  the 
top  of  the  high  rock,  shading  his  eyes  with  his  hands 
so  as  to  get  a  last  look  at  me  until  we  passed  out  of 
view  as  I  sailed  for  civilization  and  home.  We  had  a 
delightful  drive  that  morning,  and  I  never  talked  to 
such  an  attentive  audience  as  I  did  diat  day.  Both 
the  doctor  and  Katy  Ustened  to  every  won!  that  I 
uttered,  and  kept  perfectly  silent  for  fear  d  missing  a 
single  word,  as  I  gave  them  an  account  of  everything 
which  transpired  from  the  day  I  left  Toronto — two  years 
previously — up  to  the  time  of  my  return. 

When  I  had  gotten  through  with  the  recital  the 
doctor  said,  "Jack,  that  was  worth  going  miles  to  hear; 
I  never  in  all  my  life  listened  to  such  a  graphic  descrip- 
tion of  life  in  the  wilds  of  Canada.  You  have  return-  d 
with  renewid  health,  for  I  never  saw  a  man  in  mote 
perfect  physical  condition  than  you  are  in  to-day. 
To  me  this  is  easy  of  explanation,  for  instead  of  leading 
an  idle  life,  simply  amusing  yourself  hunting  and 
fishing  to  kill  time,  you  have  worked,  and  worked  hard, 
all  the  time  you  have  been  away.  And  let  me  tell 
you  that  the  very  fact  of  your  leading  the  strenuous  life 
which  you  did,  keeping  your  body  and  mind  bodi 
occupied,  combined  with  the  magnificent  atmosphere 
and  wholesome  food,  has  produced  this  wonderful 
physical  change;  and  the  result  is  that  you  now  pos- 
sess a  strong  powerful  physique  which  you  can  rely  on, 
and  barring  accidents,  should  carry  you  through  to  a 
good  old  age." 


MR.  AND  MBS.  JACK  ARUNG 


871 


I  never  saw  Katy  as  quiet  as  she  was  on  that  drive. 
She  acted  as  though  she  was  bewildered,  and  could  not 
undentand  it  all  She  fittened  with  npt  attention  to 
every  word  I  uttered  as  I  related  my  different  experi- 
ences in  the  North  Woods;  and  was  so  absorbed  in  it  all 
that  she  was  lost  to  everything  else;  and  gazed  at  me 
as  though  I  had  accomplished  something  extraordinary 
and  had  performed  great  deeds  of  heroism. 

We  had  been  driving  at  an  easy  pace  for  at  least 
two  hours,  when  the  doctor  said,  "I  dunk  we  had  better 
return  and  have  lunch,  for  I  am  sure,  Jack,  you  must 
be  ready  to  break  your  fast;  as  you  have  not  eaten 
since  six  o'clock  this  morning." 

Katy  at  once  agreed,  and  asked  me  to  forgive 
her  for  not  suggesting  this  an  hour  earlier;  but  that 
both  she  and  her  father  had  been  so  intensely  inter- 
ested in  all  that  I  had  told  them,  that  the  fact  that  I 
must  be  hungry  had  entirely  escaped  their  thoughts. 

So  the  doctor  instructed  die  oachman  to  return 
home;  Katy  had  superintoided  the  preparing  of  the 
lunch,  before  leaving  to  meet  me  at  the  train,  and  had 
left  everything  ready  to  serve. 

After  greeting  Mrs.  White  and  Mary,  we  repaired 
to  the  dining-room  and  sat  down  to  lunch. 

I  could  see  at  a  glance,  and  very  plainly,  that  my 
tanned  face  and  hands  did  not  appeal  very  strongly 
to  either  Mrs.  White  or  Mary;  for  they  were  not  nearly 
as  enthusiastic  over  my  experiences  in  the  North  Woods 
as  the  doctor  and  Katy  had  been.  So  I  told  them  but 
little  of  my  life  for  the  previous  two  years;  and  if  it 
had  not  been  for  Katy  they  would  not  have  heard  any 
it;  but  she  was  so  intensely  inter^ted  in  it  all,  that 


m 


THB  MAKING  OF  A  CANADIAN 


she  imagined  everyone  ebe  must  be.  Every  few 
momenta  she  would  say,  "Oh,  Jack,  tell  them  about  the 
big  deer  himtl"  or,  "TeQ  them  til  about  your  cabin, 
and  what  a  food  cook  Lem  was."  But  I  was  unable 
to  rise  to  the  occati<m,  as  I  had  been  with  the  doctor 
and  Katy,  being  aware  that  I  did  not  have  the  appre- 
ciative audience  to  listen  to  me  as  I  had  that  morning 
in  the  carriage;  and  only  responded  to  please  Katy, 
ddng  so  in  a  very  perfunctoiy  kind  cS  a  way. 

That  evening  Katy  and  I  sat  in  the  library  until 
quite  late.  Mrs.  White  and  Mary  had  retired,  and  the 
doctor  had  been  summoned  to  the  bedside  of  a  patient; 
so  Katy  and  I  were  alone.  She  kept  looking  at  me  with 
tliat  same  peculiar  expresnon  cn  her  face  which  I  had 
noticed  when  we  were  driving  that  morning. 

At  last  she  broke  the  spell  by  saying,  "Jack,  do 
you  know,  I  never  thought  you  would  grow  to  be  as 
big  and  burly  a  man  as  you  are  now;  you  have  grown 
so  big,  strong,  and  powerful,  that  I  have  not  as  yet 
gottoi  used  to  your  altered  appearance." 

"Do  you  think  the  alteration  is  for  the  better?" 
I  asked. 

"Why,  Jack,"  she  said,  "you  look  a  thousand 
times  better  than  you  ever  did  since  I  first  met  youl 
The  improvement  is  simply  marvelous." 

"It  is  a  strange  thing,  Katy,"  I  said,  "that  our 
thoughts  should  so  run  together  in  the  same  groove,  for 
I  have  been  thinking  the  same  thoughts  which  you  have 
expressed,  but  with  this  difference — they  are  about 
you.  I  honestly  believe  I  never  saw  a  more  beautiful 
little  woman  than  yourself.  You  were  always  beau- 
tiful to  me,  but  now  you  are  bvely.  And  do  you 


MR.  AND  MRS.  JACK  ARLIN6 


878 


know,  Katy,  that  during  the  long  evening!  which  I 
used  to  spend)  sitting  in  front  of  the  camp  hrt,  next  to 
our  cabin  in  the  North  Woods,  I  was  in  the  habit  oi 
looking  into  the  fire  as  the  logs  were  blaxing,  and  seeing 

all  kinds  of  pictures  in  the  flames,  as  they  flared  up, 
crackled  and  threw  ou*^  millions  of  sparks  as  the  fire 
was  fanned  by  every  little  breeze;  and  without  excep- 
tion you  were  always  the  most  prominent  figure  in  the 
picture.  Each  time  I  saw  you,  you  would  appear  to 
me  more  beautiful  than  die  last  time.  Sometimes  I 
would  see  castles,  but  you  were  were  always  the  Prin- 
cess of  the  castle.  At  other  times  I  would  see  some 
lovely  home,  but  you  were  always  the  mistress  of  the 
hmne.  Sleeping,  dreaming,  or  waking,  you  were  always 
in  my  thoughts.  Everything  I  did,  I  dio  for  you; 
everything  I  made,  was  made  for  you;  every  ambition 
I  had  in  life  was  inspired  by  the  thought  that  in  some 
way  it  would  add  to  your  happiness. 

"You  were  the  inspiratimi  that  prompted  me  to 
leave  home,  friends,  and  comfort,  and  live  the  life  <^  a 
nomad  in  the  wilds  of  the  North  Woods,  so  that  I 
might  regain  my  health;  and  thank  God,  I  have  suc- 
ceeded, but  it  was  all  done  for  you,  and  I  am  now  happy 
to  say  that  I  never  felt  better  in  my  life  than  I  do 
now. 

"I  have  not  returned  empty  handed,  for  I  have 
made  money,  and  saved  every  dollar  of  it;  but  all  this 
avails  nothing,  unless  I  can  secure  the  prize  I  have  been 
striving  and  working  for,  and  that  prize,  Katy,  is  your 
own  dear  little  self. 

"I  h>ve  you,  Katy,  and  I  want  you  more  than  I 
want  heaven.  Will  you  be  my  wife?" 


874 


THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 


"Yes,  Jack,  I  will!"  she  replied,  "for  I  have  always 
loved  you,  from  the  very  first  time  I  saw  you.*' 

As  soon  as  she  told  me  that  she  loved  me  I  thou^t 
my  cup  of  happiness  was  full  to  the  brim,  :md  I  took 
her  into  my  arms  and  kissed  her. 

As  we  sat  on  the  sofa  that  night  talkir  g  ever  our 
plans  for  the  future,  she  said,  "Jack,  you  have  pa-^i?*] 
through  a  great  deal  of  menul  as  well  as  physical  suf- 
fering during  the  last  three  years;  and  while  I  have  not 
had  any  physical  suffering,  yet  I  have  had  my  share  of 
mental  distress,  even  more  than  I  can  tell  you." 

She  then  explained  by  telling  me  that  from  the 
time  I  had  left  for  the  North  Woods,  Fred  Warner  had 
been  a  most  ardent  wooer — that  is,  ardent  for  him; 
for  he  was  so  lazy  and  indolent,  it  was  hard  for  him  to 
exert  himself,  even  in  trying  to  win  the  girl  he  wanted 
to  make  his  wife;  but  as  he  had  the  entree  at  all  times 
to  Mary^ s  house,  as  well  as  her  unconditional  support 
and  sympathy,  it  made  it  hard  for  her  to  avoid  him. 
Mary  had  made  her  life  miserable  by  continually 
extolling  the  superior  qualities  of  Fred  at  all  times  of 
the  day  and  night,  and  lately  her  efforts  had  been 
seconded  by  her  mother,  until  it  almost  amounted  to 
persecution;  and  between  them  they  had  carried  it  to 
such  an  extent  that  she  had  stopped  visiting  her  sister 
at  Toronto. 

But  now  that  we  were  actually  engaged,  and  Mary 
heard  of  it,  she  really  did  not  know  what  would  happen. 

Katy  Memed  greatly  distressed,  and  asked  me  what 
I  thought  was  the  best  way  to  act  under  the  ciicum- 
stances.  I  told  her  not  to  worry  over  that  for  one 
moment;  that  it  was  my  intention  to  see  her  father  the 


MB.  AND  MRS.  JACK  ABUN6 


875 


first  thing  in  the  morning,  and  ask  his  consent  to  our 
marriage;  and  with  his  permisnon  granted,  it  would 
make  but  Uttle  difference  what  either  Fred  Warner  or 
Mary  thought  of  it.  The  next  morning  I  walked  into 
the  doctor's  office,  as  I  usually  did  to  have  a  smoke 
with  him  after  breakfast;  when  we  had  Ughted  our 
cigars,  I  told  him  frankly  that  I  loved  his  daughter, 
Katy,  and  had  been  deeply  in  bve  with  her  for  the  past 
three  years,  but  had  never  mentioned  the  fact  to  her 
until  die  night  previous,  and  then  discovered  that  she 
was  as  much  in  love  with  me  as  I  was  with  herself; 
that  she  had  promised  to  be  my  wife  provided  I  could 
obtain  his  consent  to  our  marriage. 

"Do  you  really  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  have  been 
in  love  with  Katy  for  the  past  three  years,  and  never 
mentioned  the  fact  to  her  until  last  night?"  said  the 
doctor. 

"That  is  absolutely  true,"  I  replied. 

"What  was  your  object  in  keeping  such  a  secret 
from  her  for  three  years,  and  not  giving  her  some  hint 
as  to  the  state  of  your  affections?" 

"Well,  doctor,"  I  said,  "you  are  aware  how  very 
sick  I  was  after  the  yachting  accident,  and  instead  of 
getting  better,  I  seemed  to  be  growing  weaker  all  the 
time;  and  to  make  matters  still  more  depressing  for  me, 
I  overheard  some  of  my  friends  talking  one  day,  and 
one  of  them  remarked,  'I  am  afraid  poor  Ariing  is  done 
for,  he  is  growing  weaker  every  day;  and  if  it  were 
not  for  his  indomitable  spirit,  he  would  have  been  dead 
long  ago;  but  it  is  only  a  matter  of  rime  and  he  will  be 
another  tubercular  victim.*  This  made  a  deep  im- 
pression on  my  mind,  and  I  decided  to  keep  my  secret 


878 


THE  MAKINO  OP  A  CANADIAN 


to  myself  for  under  no  circumstances  would  I  cast  a 
shadow  over  dear  Katy's  life  by  telling  her  of  my  great 
love  for  her — start  for  the  North  Woods  at  once,  and 
other  regain  my  health  and  strength,  or  die.  That 
was  my  reason,  Doctor,  for  not  telling  Katy  'ong  ere 
this  what  I  told  her  last  night  and  what  I  have  told 
you  this  morning." 

As  soon  as  I  had  made  this  explanation  to  the  doc- 
tor, he  said: 

"Jack,  you  did  the  honorable  thing  with  my  Katy 
in  not  telling  her  your  secret  until  you  had  recovered; 
that  was  the  manly  thing  to  do;  but  much  as  I  appre- 
ciate your  actions  yet  you  have  upset  all  my  plans. 
The  possibility  of  Katy's  getting  married  has  never 
been  allowed  to  enter  my  mind.  I  do  not  usually 
approve  of  women  doctors;  but  if  ever  a  woman  was 
bom  to  the  profession  that  woman  is  Katy.  She  is 
the  best-equipped,  and  the  most  eminently  fitted 
woman  to  adorn  the  medical  profession  of  any  woman 
I  ever  n^t;  and  it  has  been  the  ambitl;m  of  my  life 
to  see  her  gracing  it  some  day.  With  all  her  diarm 
of  manner  and  innate  dignity  of  deportment,  she  would 
have  been  admired  and  respected  by  all  who  came  in 
contact  with  her,  and  receive  the  well-earned  encomiums 
which  I  am  sure  would  have  been  awarded  her  for  her 
skill  and  knowledge.  But  I  am  not  die  (me  to  stand  in 
the  way  of  her  happiness,  and  if  she  really  loves  you, 
she  will  undoubtedly  live  a  happier  life,  as  your  wife, 
than  she  would  in  the  practice  of  medicine. 

''As  far  as  you  yourself  are  concerned,  if  Katy  has 
to  be  married,  I  would  rather  see  her  your  wife  dian  die 
wife  a£  any  man  I  know. 


MR.  AND  MRS.  JACK  ARUNG 


377 


"Yes,  Jack,  my  dear  boy,  I  give  her  to  you;  and  in 
doing  so  I  am  giving  you  the  most  precious  jewel  of  my 
heart;  and  may  your  father's  God,  and  my  God,  watch 
over  you  both  all  through  lifel" 

I  thanked  him  with  a  very  full  heart,  and  was  on  the 
point  of  leaving,  when  Katy  stole  into  the  room.  The 
doctor  pulled  her  down  on  to  his  lap,  and  with  her  head 
resting  on  his  shoulder,  she  said: 

"Father,  has  Jack  told  you  everything?" 

"Yes,  my  dear  child;  Jack  has  told  me  that  he 
loves  you, — and  I  know  that  he  does, — and  he  has  asked 
me  to  give  my  consent  to  your  marriage,  and  I  have 
done  so.  But  I  think  we  ought  to  go  upstairs  to  the 
sitting-room,  and  tell  your  mother  and  Mary." 

As  soon  as  we  entered  the  doctor  said,  "Ladies,  I 
have  a  big  piece  of  news  for  you.  Jack  and  Katy  have 
become  engaged;  and  I  have  gladly  given  my  consent 
to  their  marriage." 

Mrj.  White's  face  changed  color  at  once,  and  be- 
came a  little  whiter  than  her  name;  but  Mary's  face 
was  dyed  with  a  deep  crimscm  flush,  ¥^ich  she  tried  in 
vain  to  conceal  behind  her  handkerchief;  and  at  the 
same  time  making  a  strong  effort  to  prevent  me  from 
noticing  the  angry  scowl  on  her  face  and  the  con- 
temptuous sneer  on  her  tightly  drawn  lips;  but  I 
observed  it  all.  Seeing  no  other  way  out  of  it,  they  both 
got  up  with  outstretched  hands  and  smiling  faces  and 
offered  us  their  congratulations. 

Mrs.  White,  to  do  her  justice,  I  really  think  was 
glad  at  heart,  when  she  saw  the  happy  look  of  con- 
tentment on  Katy's  face,  for  she  really  loved  Katy, 
but  had  been  influenced  in  her  actions  to  a  very  great 


878 


THE  BCAEIN6  OF  A  CANADIAN 


extent  by  Mary.  It  was  altogether  different  with 
Mary;  for  she  was  tremendously  disappointed,  but 
thought  it  wise  policy  to  try  and  ccmceal  bar  morti- 
fication and  vexation  from  lu.  So  she  smiled  very 
sweetly,  and  putting  her  arms  round  Katy  s  neck, 
kissed  her,  saying  at  the  same  time,  that  she  sin- 
cerely hoped  we  would  be  very  happy,  though  she  did 
not  mean  a  word  of  it,  and  I  knew  it. 

That  afternoon  I  took  Katy  out  for  a  drive.  We 
went  alone  this  time.  We  chatted  all  the  time  we  were 
away,  and  were  so  happy  in  laying  out  our  plans  for  the 
future  that  we  were  lost  to  all  sense  of  time;  but  on 
hearing  the  methodical  strokes  of  the  hammer  of  a 
church  bell  striking  the  hour  of  six,  and  bdng  a  long 
way  from  home,  we  very  reluctantly  had  to  turn  the 
horse^'  heads  and  return,  and  did  not  reach  the  house 
until  seven  o'clock.   As  soon  as  we  entered  Mary  said : 

"Katy,  are  you  aware  that  it  is  past  seven  o'clock, 
and  we  always  have  dinner  served  at  six?  Do  you  not 
know  that  you  have  kept  us  aU  waiting?*' 

"No!"  said  Kzty.  "I  did  not  think  about  dinner 
all  the  rime  I  was  away,  nor  did  I  know  anything  of 
what  time  it  was.  All  I  know  is  that  Jack  and  I  were 
having  a  fine  rime,  and  neither  he  nor  I  knew  whether 
it  was  five  o'clock  or  seven  o'clock  until  we  heard  die 
clock  in  the  old  church  tow«:  strike  rix;  and  thai  we 
knew  it  was  six  o'clock  and  dinner  rime,  and  turned 
round  and  started  for  home.  But  here  we  are,  and  both 
of  us  as  hungry  as  hunters; — aren't  we.  Jack?" 

After  dinner  was  over,  the  doctor  and  I  were  having 
a  chat  as  we  smok^  our  cigars  in  his  office,  and  in 
course     conversatioD  I  ramarked,  "Doctmr!  I  do  not 


MR.  AND  MRS.  JACK  ARLING 


379 


know  how  you  feel  about  it,  but  as  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned, I  am  strongly  in  favor  of  simple  weddings. 
Tht  more  simple  they  are  the  better  I  like  it;  and  when 
the  time  comes  for  Kzty  and  I  to  get  married,  I  would 
like  the  ceremony  to  be  performed  in  your  parlor,  with 
but  few  guests;  say,  your  family,  my  '^ather  and 
mother,  and  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  of  the  imme- 
diate relatives  of  the  two  families;  and  whr: ,  the  cere- 
mony is  over,  to  have  a  simple  wedding  lunch,  and 
Katy  and  I  to  leave  on  the  first  train  for  a  trip  to  Mon- 
treal, Quebec,  and  a  few  other  cities  which  Katy  has 
not  visited;  what  do  you  think  of  the  plan?" 

"That  meets  my  views  exactly,"  said  the  doctor; 
"for  if  there  is  anything  X  abhor  more  than  anotl.er,  it 
is  a  fashionable  wedding,  and  more  particularly  when 
the  interested  parties  are  not  fashionable  people,  but 
quiet  people  like  ourselves;  I  therefore  heartily  agree, 
and  am  absolutelv  in  sympathy  with  your  plan,  and 
sincerely  trust  that  Katy  is  also." 

I  told  him  that  Ka^  and  I  had  talked  it  all  uver 
that  afternoon,  and  she  heartily  agreed  with  my  way 
of  thinking  on  this  subject. 

Before  I  left  for  Toronto,  Katy  and  I  decided  to  be 
married  on  the  15th  day  of  January;  both  the  doctor 
and  Mrs.  White  consented  to  have  the  wedding  take 
place  on  that  date. 

Now  that  everything  was  settled  I  took  the  train 
the  following  morning  for  Toronto,  leaving  my  little 
intended  wife  standing  on  the  platform  of  the  railroad 
station,  the  doctor  being  with  her,  both  waving  me  a 
fmd  fareweli  mih  their  handkerchiefs  until  the  train 
wu  out  of  nght. 


880 


THE  MAKIN6  OF  A  CANADIAN 


Soon  after  my  return  to  Toronto  I  rented  a  very 
pretQT  little  cottage  on  a  quiet  street,  in  the  suburbs 
<^  the  ci^;  and  without  ktting  anycme  know  anjrthing 
about  it,  I  spent  all  my  spare  time  in  superintending  its 
decorating  and  furnishing;  for  I  was  anxious  to  have  it 
ready  to  walk  into  on  our  return  from  our  honey- 
moon trip.  When  the  decorations  were  completed, 
and  the  a>ttage  had  been  thoroughly  cleaned  and 
scrubbed  from  cellar  to  attic,  I  made  a  point  of  making 
some  purchase  every  day,  to  make  the  little  home 
attractive.  One  day  it  would  be  furniture,  another 
day  china,  glassware  or  pictures,  then  carpets,  rugs, 
curtains  or  something  else  until  I  arrived  at  the  kitchen, 
— but  right  there  I  was  lost, — ^but  outside  the  kitchen 
the  cottage  was  furnished  throughout  with  everything 
I  thought  Katy  would  like. 

I  would  spend  hours  in  this  little  home,  going  over 
one  room  at  a  rime,  trying  to  discover  if  anything 
more  was  needed  to  make  it  look  more  comfortable 
and  cozy. 

Katy  and  her  mother  had  visited  Toronto  several 
times  on  shopping  expedirions,  and  I  had  run  down  to 
Ottawa  on  different  occasions,  between  the  rime  of  our 
engagement  and  the  holidays. 

But  as  the  wedding  day  drew  nigh  I  thought  it  rime 
to  secure  a  good  servant,  and  install  her  in  the  house. 
So  I  took  Susie  Ralston  into  my  confidence, — I  had 
previously  told  her  of  my  engagement, — and  took  her 
up  to  the  cottage  one  day.  She  was  perfectly  charn^ed 
with  the  whole  outfit,  and  became  tremendcHisly 
enthusiasric  over  it;  and  promised  to  attend  lx>  the 
furnishing  of  the  kitchoi,  secure  a  good  sorant,  and 


MR.  AND  MRS.  JACK  ARLING  S81 

superintend  the  filling  of  the  larder.  She  also  vol- 
unteered to  have  a  nice  dinner  all  ready  to  serve  on 
our  arrival,  if  I  would  wire  her  as  we  neared  Toronto 
after  our  honeymoon  trip. 

On  the  I2th  of  January  I  boarded  the  night  train 
for  Ottawa  accompanied  by  Harry  Haig,  who  wai  to 
act  as  my  groomsman.  We  arrived  next  morning  and 
put  up  at  the  Russell  House. 

After  a  bath  and  a  good  breakfast,  I  walked  up  to 
the  doctor's  to  see  Katy— but  only  remained  for  a  few 
moments,  as  the  dressmakers  were  putting  on  the 
finishing  touches  to  her  trousseau,  and  needed  htt 
presence  every  minute. 

But  as  soon  as  Katy  heard  that  I  was  in  the  library, 
she  dropped  the  trousseau,  dressmakers  and  every- 
thing else  and  came  running  down  the  hall  to  meet 
me. 

We  had  hardly  greeted  each  other  when  a  voice 
from  upstairs  called  out,  "  Katy,  Katy,  we  need  you 
upstairs  right  away.  Tell  Jack  to  go  back  to  the  hotel, 
and  be  sure  and  not  return  until  after  eight  o'clock 
to-night."  So  I  had  to  leave,  being  sure  that  if  I  did 
not  I  would  certainly  be  run  out. 

"Well,  my  dear  Katy,"  I  said,  "I  suppose  I  must 
obey  orders  and  go." 

**0h  Jack,  dear,"  said  Katy,  "you  know  I  do  not 
want  you  to  leave  me,  but  I  suppose  I  will  have  to  let 
you  go.  So  go,  dear,  until  to-morrow,  and  then  we  will 
have  each  other  for  ever." 

Shortly  after  I  returned  to  the  hotel,  one  of  the 
pages  handed  me  a  note.  It  was  from  Mrs.  White; 
and  in  a  very  kindly  way  told  me  that  all  the  bustle 


888         THE  MAKING  OP  A  CANADIAN 

and  excitement  had  made  Katy  a  little  bit  nervous; 
and  they  were  going  to  try  and  get  her  to  retire  quite 
early.  And  asked  me  to  please  defer  calling  until  the 

time  set  for  the  wedding, — next  morning  at  ten  o'clock. 
Of  course  after  receiving  Mrs.  White's  note  I  did  not 
call  that  evening;  but  instead  Harry  Haig  and  I  went 
for  a  long  walk,  and  on  our  return  proceeded  at  once 
to  our  rooms  and  retired. 

On  waking  up  next  morning  I  found  the  sun  stream- 
ing into  my  room  through  the  windows,  for  it  was  a 
beautiful  day,  and  the  very  first  thought  which  entered 
my  mind  was — Why,  this  is  my  wedding  day — the 
day  that  I  had  been  looking  forward  to  through  all  the 
hardships  and  vicissitudes  of  the  past  three  long, 
weary  years. — The  realization  that  my  fondest  hopes 
had  now  really  reached  their  culmination,  and  in  three 
short  hours  I  would  be  able  to  take  my  dear  Katy  into 
my  arms  as  my  wife  thrilled  me  through  and  through, 
widi  the  supremest  pleasure. 

A  little  before  ten  o'clock  Harry  Haig  and  I  arrived 
at  the  White  residence,  and  were  ushered  into  the 
large  parlor,  and  found  myself  standing  in  front  of  the 
Reverend  Doctor  Shephard,  who  was  facing  me  with  the 
open  Book  in  his  hand.  My  father,  mother,  and  a  few 
invited  guests  were  seated  in  comfortable  armchain 
and  sofas  chatting  and  smiling  together,  nHien  Doctor 
White,  with  my  dear  Katy  on  his  arm,  entered  the 
room  and  walked  to  where  I  was  standing.  Katy 
released  her  hand  from  her  father's  arm,  and  stood  by 
my  side.  She  wore  a  blue  silk  dress  with  a  long  train, 
and  her  bridal  veil  readied  to  die  end  <^  her  kmg  skirt; 
with  a  wreath  <^  orange  blossoms  encircling  hoc  head 


MR.  AND  MRS.  JACK  ARLING  883 

I  thought  that  she  made  the  sweetest  vidon  of  love- 
liness my  eyes  had  ever  rested  on. 

The  ceremony  was  soon  over,  and  as  I  stooped  down 
to  kut  her,  I  whupered  in  her  ear,  "Now  you  are  my 
own  sweet  wife."  She  did  not  speak,  but  I  could  read 
the  response  in  her  eyes.  After  the  wedding  break- 
fast  was  over  Katy  retired  to  her  room,  and  returned 
ui  a  short  time,  wearing  a  handsome  silver  gray  broad- 
doth  traveUng  suit.  When  all  had  donned  their  heavy 
wraps  and  furs,  we  entered  three  large  comfortable 
sleighs,  Katy  and  I  with  the  Doctor  and  Mrs.  White 
in  the  first  sleigh,  the  guests  taking  possession  of 
the  others,  and  all  drove  to  the  depot.  As  the  train 
pulled  out,  Katy  and  I  sat  at  the  window  of  our  state- 
room,—at  the  rear  end  of  the  train,— and  watched  the 
doctor  and  our  friends  waving  us  a  fond  adieu  from  the 
station  platform,  wishing  us  all  kinds  of  joy  and  hap- 
pmess  as  we  started  on  our  honeymoon  for  Montreal 


THE  END 


